Aurora 5: Dark Star
by RachelJLewis
Summary: Part 5 of 5: On her 17th birthday, Maddie wishes for two things; the guy under the clock and anything that helps her discover why her Dad vanished into thin air eleven years ago. A meeting with a strange woman gives her news of where he is and a warning that he's in danger. Can she find Edward Cullen and her Dad before San Francisco is pulled into the Volturi's latest scheme?
1. Prologue

**Prologue: February, 2021**

"I'm only thankful that we managed to obliterate the trail before it led all the way back to you. The San Francisco Police Department had infiltrated you well." Aro's expression was impassive. "And for that, Veronica, Carlo had to pay the price."

"Yes. I know." Veronica said in her Latin-accented English. She tried her best to look like the grieving widow, but it was difficult not to celebrate. Her stylist Dionne was already stood behind her, braiding jewels into her hair. Carlo had become an increasing liability to the coven and her relationship with Steven had come perilously close to being exposed on a number of occasions.

"I'm assuming that you are now in charge?" Aro asked and deep in the shadows of the room, a man shifted in his seat.

Veronica gestured to the hidden man. "Diego and I have decided to split the responsibility. Diego will oversee the running of the coven, whilst I focus my efforts on rebuilding our, shall we say, business interests."

"A wise move," said Aro. "This is a ruthless society and you need to have your best people in key positions."

"Diego and I think so too and a change of leadership means we can do that. I for one have never cared for dealing with our new recruits. Diego on the other hand," She smiled into the darkness behind. "Has a passion for it."

"So you're not too downhearted about the loss of your mate?" Aro asked.

"On the contrary, you did me a great service today." Veronica ditched the false grief and gave Aro a winning smile. "In fact, the future has never looked brighter." But the smile died on her face when she caught Aro's dark expression in return.

"I'm glad _you_ can smile about things," Aro spat. "I myself cannot. I do not take kindly to cleaning up other people's mess; especially one of such magnitude that I have to take personal control, to make sure that we had done a thorough job. Carlo got greedy, careless and very nearly exposed us all." Aro's deadly glare left Veronica in no doubt of the gravity of the situation. "Do _not_ underestimate humans," he continued. "This is the twenty first century and they are getting smarter by the year. We have people working full time at the Solace Foundation just to keep us one step ahead of them. Carlo was warned repeatedly to safeguard your financial transactions, but he didn't. Instead, he started feathering his nest with acquisitions that got you noticed. The San Francisco Police Department should not have even _suspected_ that vampires exist, let alone have the address of this coven. We have naturally disposed of the officers involved and you would be well advised to move house and quickly."

"We'll do that." Replied Veronica.

"You should also shut down whatever that hideous enterprise is that you run downtown. I've never seen anything so sordid in my entire existence; coming from me, that's saying something."

Veronica angled her body towards the darkness. "Diego?"

"As far as I am aware," Diego drawled. "They did not discover the existence of the den. Besides, it turns a healthy profit. While we recover what we've lost, we might need the money from it to pay the bills."

"He does have a point." Said Veronica.

"Which I concede," replied Aro. "Not paying your bills would result in more scrutiny. Very well, keep it open in the meantime. But as you are looking to re-coup your assets, I have a proposition for you."

Veronica was thrilled. This was what she was hoping for.

Aro crossed his legs. "As you have discovered, humans are getting better at tackling organised crime. In response to that, we are no longer able to operate in the ways we once did and have been developing a strategy. It enables us to legitimately earn money, but to keep the true owners and nature of the business well hidden from human view. We are willing to share it with you. As San Francisco is still re-building from the earthquake, we believe that the city would be perfect for one of our Solace Centers. I understand that the strain of living here these days is considerable and taking its toll on the city's poorest and most emotionally vulnerable. We are not deaf to their cries for help. So here we are." Aro gestured magnanimously.

"The benefit to San Francisco or to any city where there is a Solace Center – and we have three now - is that all of the most unsightly problems in society are comprehensively dealt with. The benefit to you is that for the first time, you will have a legitimate source of income. An income which will far exceed what you've ever had before. Believe me; if someone is willing to deal with society's problem for them, humans are all too willing to pay.

"The success of it has far exceeded even our most audacious hopes. It's all above board, all legal, all taxable – not that you'll be paying much once we show you all the ways you can get out of paying it - and it can be gloriously paraded for all to see. I believe humans call this a _win / win scenario_." Aro smiled at Veronica and leant forward slightly. Veronica, eager to please, mirrored him.

"So this is the deal," continued Aro. "We will bring over our expertise to help you establish a Solace Center here in San Francisco. We will help you to appoint the right humans to lead it and bring in our own people to manage those bits of the business that we'd rather humanity didn't see. We call it the waste disposal." Aro smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "But before any of that happens the first bit is up to you, Veronica. You will need to go out and sell this to the San Francisco business community, because you will need to secure the investment for the building and funding program. We have examined each country's taxation system and discovered ways that businesses can claim back virtually everything they donate to this project. We've found that it makes getting the really big investors on board so much easier.

"Once the business community are sold on the idea and the vision has been well communicated; we find that the people of the city quickly catch the vision, because there's so much to like about it. The problems of homelessness, of mental illness, drugs, gambling, alcohol and any other addiction or social disease, can be packed away and treated in a beautifully appointed center. In their current plight, I'm sure the people of San Francisco will embrace it. And, because it's fully supported by the business community, there is very little cost to the end user; which makes it doubly attractive. We're doing humanity a service, by taking in their hopeless cases, turning their lives around and sending them out as transformed citizens. Their only obligation is to spread the good news and bring us more people to treat. How easy is that?" Aro grinned. The effect was not unlike death cracking a smile.

"And what's in it for us?" Asked Diego. "What's this 'waste disposal' you speak of?"

"In any treatment program there are those who, let's say, fail to respond to treatment. Or, in the case of the homeless, there are those who we can't send home or who refuse our offer of help. We can't help them, but neither do we want them back out on the streets where they will most likely come to harm. So we dispose of them. The more people we treat, the more disposals we have and the less the city vampires need to hunt for their food. The food comes to them. It is quite wonderful in every way."

"And it works well?" Questioned Diego.

"Perfectly! We have centres in Italy, Bulgaria and we have just finished our first year of operation in the United Kingdom, where it's been a particular success. As you know, the drug problem in that country is out of control and they don't even have the excuse of an earthquake. The financial institutions and even the Government themselves, were fulsome in their generosity. What made the difference was getting the Prime Minister on board. Once he decided that it was a good idea, every restriction was miraculously lifted. You would do well to emulate the team there. Pick the biggest and ripest cherries first and the rest fall into place beneath them.

"Establishing relationships is key. Don't just ask for their money, get to know them. Get to know their families and find out what makes them tick. Humans respond so well to that kind of thing. Then, once their reservations about you are gone, you'll find it so much easier to get their support. But it takes the right amount of charisma for that to happen. It's about pairing the right vampire to the right potential investor. The men target the men and the women target the women." Aro treated Veronica to another blast of his cadaverous smile. "It was my idea. I'm old-fashioned like that."

Veronica picked up her tablet computer and selecting an icon, loaded a recent issue of _San Francisco Life_ magazine and turned it towards Aro.

"Helen Mitchell, San Francisco's Person of the Year for the fifth year running. Are you saying that I should go after her?"

"Oh no my dear, we don't _go after_ anyone anymore. The charm offensive has to start right now. The Solace Foundation is about winning friends and influencing people; a cliché but an undeniable fact of doing business with humanity. They mustn't get the slightest idea that we're a threat to them." Aro paused for a moment and looked Veronica over.

"I am glad that you already have a stylist, because that would be my first recommendation. If you are to approach the business community, you will need to fit in and with all due respect, that doesn't mean looking as you do now. Perhaps it's escaped your attention that that the women here don't walk around in ball gowns, unless they're actually attending a ball - and there are precious few of those I hear. Let her help you to blend in with human businesswomen. You will need to fix your hair in a contemporary style and get used to wearing make-up. I am pleased to report that we have finally perfected a coating that enables us to be out in sunlight. What's more, we can tailor it to your previous human skin tone. There's no further need to go around looking like an albino. We've rigorously tested it, in the height of summer and in the world's busiest cities. Nobody notices a thing."

Aro gave a nod in the direction of the tablet that Veronica was still holding.

"It's interesting that you mentioned Helen Mitchell. Getting San Francisco's wealthiest and most-connected woman involved would help enormously in bringing in other investors. But there's a personal angle to her and I'm surprised you're not aware of it."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know Ms Mitchell." Veronica replied.

"I'm not suggesting that you do. But you did know her ex-husband."

"Mitchell?" The name brought Diego out of the shadows. "_Daniel _Mitchell?"

"The very same," replied Aro. "Who I now understand has made a home with Edward Cullen's family. No doubt he is worming his own way into humanity, in the insidious way that every Cullen does."

"Daniel is still alive?" Diego asked.

"How sweet, your favourite did not perish after all." Veronica said acidly. "Please, give Diego Edward Cullen's number and save us all from this moping that he does. We weren't to know, when we let him go, that Diego was in love with the man."

"I never got around to telling him." Diego admitted.

"He wasn't into you," she snapped. "Anyone could see that." Veronica turned her attention back to Aro. "So Helen Mitchell has no idea what happened to her husband? I wonder how much that would be worth to her?"

"Oh, I can assure you that Helen Mitchell does not care one bit what happened to him. He was discarded like a used Kleenex years ago. But his daughter might be interested in finding out."

"He has a daughter?" Said Veronica. "Oh how sweet." The insincere smile was back. "I hate children."

"I suggest that you grow to love them and quickly; especially Madison. I have observed that becoming friends with the child, is sometimes a very good way of exerting pressure on the parent. You may find that getting Madison onside means that you have a better chance of getting your hands on her mother's money. And here I must confess a rather personal interest in the young Miss Mitchell. While getting hold of Helen's millions would be wonderful for the Foundation; if you could, in the process, get some leverage to prise open the Cullens, I would view it as a personal favour. They have long been an irritation and every so often I get the urge to scratch it."

"You want us to go after the Cullens?" Clarified Veronica.

"Not in so many words, just find me a reliable way in. Going after them _en masse_ is not recommended and I've found that the best way is to pick off the weakest first. These strange creatures, abominations to name of vampire, have created children and consort with animals. You will remember, that when Edward's daughter Renesmee wandered too far from their home and into yours, they came out in force to reclaim her. They too have their millions and perhaps a well-placed ransom demand may unlock the vault. Get Helen Mitchell and you'll be doing humanity a favour. Get the Cullens and you'll be the same for vampires. Oh look, another one of those lovely _win / win scenarios_." Aro gave a little shiver of delight. "I do _love_ being back in business!"

Aro rose from his chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my flight leaves shortly. I will have our people contact you and give you details of how to proceed. In the meantime Veronica, I suggest that you read up on the San Francisco business community and allow your stylist to take you shopping. I shall send you over a consignment of the skin covering. You will need to airbrush it on like car paint and keep it out of your eyes, it stings." Aro winced. "Accompany me to the door would you?"

Aro and Veronica departed, leaving Diego and Dionne alone in the room.

"Do we know where this Edward Cullen lives?" He asked Dionne.

"No." She replied.

Diego snarled. "Edward Cullen has my property." He shifted from one foot to the other as if uncomfortable about something. "Do you… know how to use a computer?" He asked hesitantly, picking up Veronica's tablet. "I've never gotten around to learning." He admitted.

"Me either."

"This was one of the big deficiencies of Carlo's leadership. He did not invest in helping us to keep up with the modern world. That's how the SFPD got in and nearly took us down. He should have been more strategic about creating vampires with the right skills and experience. It's OK having strength in numbers, but you can't create an empire off the back of a bunch of hobos. I got lucky when I created Daniel. Not only was he the most beautiful man I'd ever seen, but he had skills in that area, skills that we now need. I'm going to hunt him down and bring him back." Diego stalked from the room with a renewed sense of purpose.

Dionne agreed with Diego, but not because she wanted Daniel back in any strategic capacity. When Daniel had left, the last bit of light had gone out of her life. Daniel had been the only one who'd ever cared about her. He'd shielded her from some of Diego's worst excesses and his intrinsic goodness had shone through, regardless of how he himself was treated. Diego wasn't the only one who hadn't gotten around to telling Daniel that he was loved.

Dionne knew that Daniel had a daughter; he'd talked about her frequently. Dionne couldn't help but wonder what she looked like. She found herself idly speculating whether Madison wanted to know what had happened to her father? Dionne picked up the tablet computer. She didn't really know how to use it; she only had an idea of it from watching Veronica. She touched the screen to bring it back to life and looked at the cover photograph of Helen Mitchell. Dionne felt a stab of hatred for the woman. How could she let Daniel go? She stroked the screen, flicking the pages of the magazine until she found the article. Jackpot! There was a picture of Helen and Madison together. The girl was Daniel's daughter and no mistake. She was a tall, willowy girl with long, straight brown hair. She was a couple of inches taller than her mother and had eyes that were the very image of her fathers, but blue. Dionne quickly read the article and committed the image of Madison to memory. She was seventeen this year and Helen was planning a big event for her daughter's birthday. Dionne wondered whether it would be possible to track Madison down and meet her?

Dionne had never thought of doing anything so rash before, but could she manage to do it? She had never once stepped out of line in this coven. It was something you didn't do, because the ultimate sanction was incineration - although there was worse that Diego could do to you before he got onto anything as merciful as burning. But however much she loved him, she would never wish this hell hole back on Daniel. Could she find the courage to escape and warn him about Diego? He was worth doing something rash for and for a moment Dionne let herself fantasise that she and Daniel could be together. Perhaps Madison would be so grateful for Dionne's help in finding her father, that she'd insist that they became best friends. A _friend!_ Her non-existent heart soared in the sunlight for a moment and then crashed and burned. Dionne's shoulders slumped with the weight of reality. She was a gutter-dwelling vampire, there was no way she could have a friend. What was she thinking? It was hopeless. But she was so profoundly lonely, even in a big coven like this. Fifty years of solitude and abuse stretched out like an abyss behind her and suddenly she felt every second of it. Why did she stay here? Why did she let Diego do what he did? Why did anyone? Because Diego ruled this coven with fear and nobody got out alive; unless you were Daniel. He'd simply walked out of the door with Edward Cullen. Dionne sighed and placed the tablet back on the table and walked out of the room.

As she got to the doorway she paused, just at the point where Daniel would usually have stood, waiting for Carlo's orders. She pictured him standing there; the beautiful man in the filthy rags. Rags that meant he had never progressed off the bottom rung of the coven's ladder. Dionne should have done more for him; but she was scared of Veronica and Carlo and was even more scared of Diego. There was only one thing for it; she needed to find Edward Cullen!

The trouble was that she had no idea how to find another vampire; they were hardly listed in the phonebook. Did phonebooks even exist these days? Dionne wasn't sure; she'd been a vampire for so long that she was out of touch with modern society. But the mere thought of being with Daniel again galvanised something inside her and made her connect to the last vestiges of goodness. She had to try to find him, whatever it took. But she needed help. She needed someone who could help her search for him. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that Madison Mitchell was the perfect person to contact. Maybe the human was her ticket out of here?


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Prince Charming**

Maddie had hidden herself in the drapes. On the other side of the heavy velvet fabric, three hundred and ninety five of her Mom's friends and acquaintances were celebrating Maddie's birthday. Most of them hadn't a clue who she was; until her Mom had made her stand up whilst she delivered such a gushing, tear-stained eulogy; that Maddie feared she'd accidentally pitched up at her own funeral. This woman purported to be her mother; but she didn't recognise a single word coming from her mouth, or the tears for that matter. When had Helen Mitchell ever cried? She didn't even know that her mother had tear ducts. Perhaps she'd had them drilled out especially?

As seventeenth birthday parties went, this had to be in the top ten worst, _ever._ Maddie hadn't even wanted a birthday party - she didn't have the greatest track record with them. All Maddie wanted was pizza and a movie with her best friend Angel. Not this. This was the last thing she'd wanted. But Ms Mitchell had other ideas; especially if it meant that Helen could weave her 'cause' into it.

In her early years, Maddie understood that Elba wouldn't grow if her Mom didn't put in the hours of work to make it succeed. All that work had paid off and now Elba was one of the leading suppliers of technology solutions in America. But recently, her Mom's focus had waivered and she was more often found on the society pages than on the business pages. Her Mom never used to be in because she was working. Now, she was never in because she was out at yet another society event.

Maddie had transposed her Mom's title from Chief Executive Officer to Chief Entertainment Officer; because these days, it was all _party, party, party_ in the Mitchell house. Her mother was suddenly best-friends with everybody and appeared to be on a one-woman mission to get San Francisco back on its feet. Helen wasn't single-handedly re-building the earthquake-devastated city, but she was doing what she could to keep the wheels of society turning and those who had money, spending it.

There hadn't been a large social occasion in the city since the earthquake struck and Helen had decided that her daughter's seventeenth birthday would re-launch San Francisco's social scene. For it, she had chosen the ballroom of the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel. This was the only part of the event that Maddie approved of. She liked the Mark Hopkins, mainly because she liked Stuart Covey, the manager. Stuart had been a previous boyfriend of her Mom's and a few years back, while Madison was recovering from meningitis; he'd invited her to stay at the hotel for a weekend, as a treat. When she couldn't sleep, Stuart had left her Mom sleeping and, both of them still in pyjamas and bathrobes, had skulked around the hotel as it slept. For Maddie, there had been nothing more exciting than playing in the elevators at three in the morning and no sight more magical than the view from the _Top of the Mark_. Although she'd been born and raised here, seeing the city at her feet was the moment when she had truly fallen in love with San Francisco. She had never forgotten that view or Stuart either. Of all her Mom's boyfriends, Stuart was the one that she'd liked.

He'd welcomed them to the hotel tonight, but her Mom hadn't thought to include Stuart on the guest list. Neither had she thought to include any of Maddie's friends, until Maddie had pointed this out to her earlier in the week. Three people who couldn't attend meant that Maddie got to fill the spaces with her own friends. In the end, Paulette and Eva couldn't come, which had just left Angel. Had Maddie known in advance that two of her friends would ditch, she'd have invited the two other glaring omissions from the guest list: Gramps and Grandma, her Dad's parents.

Her Dad was the reason she didn't like big birthday parties. September thirtieth was not only her birthday, but the anniversary of her Dad simply vanishing off the planet. How could she celebrate that? Today wasn't her actual birthday; that was on Thursday and it made this whole thing slightly more bearable, because at least it separated the two events out.

Before she'd come out tonight, she'd made her usual post on the San Francisco Missing Persons Forum that she'd done every year since she was ten. It had been particularly busy since the earthquake, but there were still people on it that she recognised year in and year out. Once again, she'd uploaded the last photo of her Dad and a brief description of him. Only twice had anyone contacted her and they'd been old friends of his, wanting to know if he'd ever been found. Sadly not, he'd vanished into thin air.

Only a few people around her remembered Daniel Mitchell. But Maddie remembered him, his parents remembered him, Angel's Dad remembered him and even Margaret Roberts their housekeeper remembered him.

Maddie looked up at the moon through the window, trying to draw strength to get through the last bit of the evening. Thinking about her Dad always made her feel sad. On the other side of the curtain an excellent band were playing and people were dancing. Maddie could dance beautifully and she'd have liked to dance, but not with anyone here. When they were younger, Angel had gotten obsessed with the TV show _Dancing with the Stars_ and had wanted someone to go to ballroom dancing lessons with. For a year or so Maddie had gone along too. She'd been good and Maddie could turn in a great Viennese Waltz if she chose. But few people these days could waltz, it was a dying art. Not that you would expect such a prickly, geeky, cropped-haired girl to dance anyway; not like this. Maddie did not align herself with the uber-groomed rich of the city and it was an imposition that she had to wear a dress at all tonight. She'd grudgingly admitted that it was a gorgeous dress, but it wasn't comfortable. She'd eaten a little too much at dinner and the unforgiving corsetry was digging in.

Maddie was happiest in vintage combat pants and Docs. She scoured thrift stores everywhere for genuine 90s stuff, baulking at the day-glo colours that were the current vogue. Shocking pink suited no one and certainly not Maddie.

With the exception of this dress and her school uniform, her entire closet looked like an Army kit store. Getting rid of her long hair had been a liberating experience and had brought her new persona fully into being. Life was tough in San Francisco and you needed tough clothing to survive in it. Life was also a bitch and sometimes you needed Docs to give it a good kicking. What she wouldn't give to be wearing her Docs right now, because this party was littered with potential things to kick. Mostly boys.

These weren't just any boys; these were ones from rich families, who Helen thought would be a perfect catch for Maddie. Maddie would rather catch anthrax than any of these spineless wonders. She'd received them in a spirit of friendship but no more. They were men, yes; but only in the same way that neutered Bichon Frise were dogs. Maddie wanted to date a real man, not a puffed-up poodle with all the testosterone taken out of it. She was not alone in her withering assessment of what was on offer, Angel had agreed. Maddie had almost burst out of her dress laughing at Angel's assassination of every last one of these boys. Her friends' comments brought a smile back to Maddie's face as she stood behind the fabric. Angel had gone now and mercifully the clock was making its way to the magical hour of midnight, when all this crap would be over.

Maddie untangled herself from the drapes and scooted around the outside of the room, working hard not to catch anybody's eye, especially not Roger's. Roger Grudem was her Mom's current boyfriend, although he wouldn't be for much longer. Not because her Mom didn't like him, but because he was about to commit the mother of all sins: Turning twenty five. None of her Mom's boyfriends ever lasted much beyond that threshold because Helen liked them young. Maddie wondered whether the boys here were for her benefit, or her Mom's? Surely there was a replacement for Roger on display tonight? Maddie hoped so, because the sooner Roger was out of their lives, the better. He was, by Maddie's own assertion, an 'irritating little shit'. He was also not averse to making a pass at Maddie. He was the reason why she wore Docs around the house these days and not slippers. One swift kick in the groin and he might just get the message.

Maddie headed for the Ladies' room to kill the last fifteen minutes of this hell. But as she ran out into the hallway, the beautiful clock striking a quarter to the hour caught her attention. It was new; well, it was old, but it was new to this spot, because Maddie had never noticed it before. Its classic elegance instantly captivated her and she moved closer to get a better view.

"Vienna, 1864." Said a man's voice behind her. "It's on loan from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague."

Maddie span round and blinked in shock. In front of her stood possibly the most handsome guy she'd ever seen. He was young, perhaps her age and oozing from every pore was one hundred percent pure testosterone, or pheromones, or possibly danger. Whatever it was, it was _Real Man_. Where had this jewel been hiding all night? He must've realised that she didn't know him, because he held out a gloved hand and introduced himself.

"Anthony Masen." He said as they shook hands. "You must be Madison Mitchell?"

"Yes." Madison replied, trying hard to remember if she knew him. She noticed the coat draped over his arm. He was going? Damn, he was the most interesting thing here. Then she realised that she hadn't corrected him. "It's just Maddie by the way."

"Well, _just Maddie_, it's been nice to finally meet you." He gave her an absolutely irresistible lop-sided smile.

She needed to act quickly. "And you. Look, there's less than fifteen minutes of the party left, surely you're not leaving now? We could dance and you could meet me some more." She gave him her most winning smile, all the while desperately rifling through her mental address book trying to pick out the Masen family.

"Sadly, I must decline. I was attending another event in the hotel and I wouldn't wish to gatecrash your party. I was waiting for my car and the manager told me about this new piece, which I wanted to see before I left. Do you have an interest in horology?"

"Not unless it's a Rolex." She joked. She looked back at the clock on the wall. "But I like what I like and this is lovely. Very classic." She thought about the way he'd spoken; it was like he'd fallen out of a nineteenth century novel. "Do you like antiques?" She added, desperate to keep him talking.

"Yes, I'm almost one myself." He joked, eyes twinkling in the lamplight and his smile gave her a thrill. She needed to know more about him.

"Do…"

"Your car's waiting, sir."

"Thank you Stuart."

"You're welcome."

As much as she liked him, she could have quite happily kicked the living daylights out of Stuart Covey at that moment. Of _all_ the people to interrupt her and thwart her plans, it had to be him!

Anthony looked at Maddie; there was an amused look in his eyes.

"I must go." He said, "My plane is waiting." His voice was as smooth and seductive as chocolate.

"I thought you were waiting for your car?" She challenged. He was slipping through her fingers. Maddie was a little piqued by this and her tone of voice betrayed it.

"I was. I was waiting for my car to take me to my plane."

Oh he was too good to let go of.

"Stay." Maddie said, deadly serious. "If it's _your_ plane it can wait for you. Dance with me. It's my birthday."

Anthony raised an eyebrow. "I can see that the reports of you are correct. You really are not to be messed with."

"No, indeed not." Maddie replied, holding the gaze of his very dark brown eyes.

"Very well then Miss Mitchell, your wish is my command. _One_ dance."

Anthony folded his coat over a nearby chair and not even removing his gloves, took her hand and led her back into her party. "A Viennese Waltz, how appropriate." He commented, before pulling her into hold and setting off into the whirl of bodies on the dance floor.

Now this was ballroom dancing! Footwork long practiced did not fail her, as held securely in Anthony's arms they waltzed at speed around the floor. Maddie caught sight of her Mom, watching them open-mouthed. But Maddie ignored her, contentrating instead on how wonderful it was to dance with somebody who could dance as well as she could. Anthony seemed to be testing her technique, putting in natural turns, reverse turns and she giggled as she executed a perfect long-forgotten _fleckerl_. As the band came to the end of the song, Anthony ducked her out of the door of the ballroom and back into the hallway beneath the clock. Stuart was waiting and not looking at all composed.

"Sir, your _plane!_"

"Thank you Stuart. It's in hand." Anthony said calmly. He released Maddie and retrieved his coat. "It's been a pleasure Miss Mitchell. Perhaps we'll meet again sometime?"

"I hope so." Maddie said. She was breathing hard, whether from the exertion of the dance or the thrill of him, she wasn't sure.

"I feel sure that we will." Anthony smiled, gave her a slight bow and jogged quickly down the hall, with Stuart following. Maddie stared after him, noticing not only that he could run stylishly in dress shoes and a tuxedo – while Stuart could not – but also the fading scent of the cologne he'd been wearing. It was almost hypnotic.

To the side of her the Viennese clock struck midnight and a laugh burst through Maddie's lips. For one insane moment, it felt like she'd fallen into a fairytale. One where roles had been reversed and Prince Charming was the one fleeing before the chimes of midnight ended. Perhaps she should go check that his car hadn't turned into a pumpkin?

As she turned to go back into the ballroom, a thought struck her. What did he mean _'nice to finally meet her'_ and what reports of her had he heard?

Maddie would be making a call to Stuart Covey first thing tomorrow morning.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: The Presidio**

Stuart couldn't help her with much in the way of specifics. It had been a good few years since they'd seen them, but the Masen family had been guests at the Mark Hopkins since the 1920s and Anthony was the latest of a long line of them to stay there.

"So the next time he checks in do you want me to give you a call?" Stuart asked, failing to hide the amusement in his voice.

"What do _you_ think?" Maddie grinned down the phone at him.

"I think you do. Perhaps I should warn him about you?"

"You mean you weren't the one who told him about me?"

"No. Up until he asked about the new clock, I hadn't spoken to him."

"Oh." Maddie was surprised.

"He knew about you?"

"Yes."

"Well that's not surprising, you're Helen's daughter. Perhaps the Masens do business with Elba?"

"Perhaps, but it's not a name I've ever heard her mention. If he's the heir to the Masen millions, then I'm surprised he wasn't at my party. That was a bad oversight on my Mom's part, because I would've dated him."

"As soon as he checks in again or even makes a reservation, I promise I'll call you."

"Thanks Stuart."

"And happy birthday for Thursday."

"Thanks."

"I hope your Mom remembers."

"Not a chance."

As she worked at her desk later that day, Maddie kept one eye on the house across the street. A new family were moving in. They couldn't possibly have picked a worse day to move. It was pouring down; but the four men from the moving company were making short work of the family's furniture. The side of the truck said Juneau, Alaska. That people were coming from Alaska to California was unusual. That they coming into the city at all these days was even more so. San Francisco was a giant construction site and wasn't really a desirable place to be right now. The work of the movers was being hindered by an excitable girl who hovered by the truck's tailgate, waiting for something. When a box covered in pink stickers was handed to her, she jumped for joy and ran into the house.

Maddie smiled. It was nice that the tiny house was occupied at last, having lain empty for the last couple of years. An interior decorating firm had been in the previous week getting it ready for the new arrivals.

The house across the street wasn't tiny if you put it next to any other average family home in America. It was just tiny compared to the other houses on this section of Presidio Terrace. Helen and Madison's house was directly opposite and was by far the largest on the street. It was double-fronted and Georgian-inspired, with an imposing semi-circular portico over the front door. Steps led out from the left and the right of the entrance down to the sidewalk, whilst surrounding the house were immaculately manicured lawns and beds of shrubs. It was a house of stupid enormity for two people, but Helen Mitchell was not for having anything smaller.

Later, as she glanced out into the street, Maddie saw the girl again, racing off into the rain on her bicycle. Turning her head a little more she caught sight of a man stood on the sidewalk watching after the girl. He was wearing an outdoor jacket and had the hood pulled up. As they were from Alaska, they'd be well kitted out for wet weather. He stood in the street, looking at the houses that surrounded him. He turned to face Maddie's house and, probably drawn by the light from her desk lamp, looked up at her window. Maddie couldn't see his face, but it felt neighbourly to raise a hand in greeting. He returned the gesture. The girl cycled back into view and as she cycled down their drive, the man followed her in.

Monday morning at school yielded a name for the girl: Kate Chambers. She was a Freshman. It also yielded a name for her older brother: Jory. He was a Junior like Maddie and she met them both as they walked the couple of blocks to school. Jory was currently sitting beside Maddie in their first class of the day - History. Their usual teacher, Mrs Fletcher, had fallen and broken her elbow two weeks ago. She'd be out for a while and so, after a couple of indifferent subs, Mrs Fletcher's classes would be taken by Mrs Chambers for the rest of the calendar year. Maddie had found out on the way in that this was Jory and Kate's Stepmom.

Presidio High was not your average school. It was the school where the wealthiest people in the city sent their children. Classes were small and even smaller now that many had chosen to leave the city in the aftermath of the earthquake. It was a stronghold of girls, so the introduction of a new boy had set up sickening amount of preening. There were plenty of open seats he could have chosen from, but for his first class, Jory had chosen to sit next to Maddie, collapsing into the seat with considerable force.

"You look the least scary person in here." He whispered and smiled. Fifteen other pairs of female eyes were currently firing daggers in Maddie's direction. If Mrs Chambers hadn't been watching, Maddie would have flipped the bird to the rest of the class.

Jory was slim and over six feet tall. He had light brown hair, brown eyes and he was attractive, _very_ attractive - which was why Maddie was currently the least popular girl in the class. But the girls weren't to know they'd met on the way in. If Jory Chambers wanted to give the impression that he found her the most attractive girl in the class, then Maddie wasn't going to complain about that. It was the second time in three days that her path had been crossed by date-worthy guys and she wondered how she'd managed to hit such a purple patch.

Apart from being insanely good-looking, the other thing about Jory was that he was the personification of calm. He didn't try to be cool, he just _was_ cool. He'd walked to school this morning in a measured way, saying no more words than were needed and he gave off an aura of reassuring solidity. Jory looked like a guy you could depend on. In contrast to her brother, Kate Chambers had not stopped talking or jumping about during the entire two block walk. By the time they'd arrived at school, Maddie had gotten Kate's entire life history and Jory was looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry." He said after Kate scooted off to her class. "She's excited about being in San Francisco. We've come from Alaska; it's all snow and bears."

Maddie gave a laugh. "Are substitute History teachers so hard to come by?" She was slightly incredulous that Mrs Chambers had been drafted in from so far away.

Jory shook his head. "Probably not. My Dad's working on a project here so we were moving down anyway. It just worked out great that Stephanie got something too."

"And she's your Stepmom?"

"Yeah. Mom died soon after Kate was born." Jory said sadly. "Stephanie and Dad got married five years ago."

"I'm sorry. I know how it feels. My Dad died when I was six. Or at least I think he died."

Jory looked at Maddie. "You _think_ he died?"

She gave a shrug of her shoulders. "He just disappeared. Vanished off the face of the earth."

"Alien abduction?"

"Who knows. The Police have never found him, that's for sure."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"He disappeared on my 6th birthday. It's always a tough day."

"When's your birthday?"

"Thursday."

"Are you doing anything for it?"

"No. Mom threw a party for me at the Mark Hopkins. Well, it was supposed to be for me; I think it was more for her benefit than mine. She invited loads of guys that she thought I'd like to date."

"And would you?"

"No. Although, there was one crazy incident where I danced with a guy I met under a clock. I'd date him if I ever saw him again."

Jory laughed. "Maybe you should make a wish on your birthday."

"Well I could, but I never have any candles to blow out to make a wish with."

"You don't ever have a birthday cake?"

Maddie shook her head. "My Mom always says she'll do it and then forgets. Mrs Roberts our housekeeper doesn't like to step on Mom's toes. Every year she prays my Mom will remember, but she never does."

"That's too bad. Perhaps we could make you one?" He smiled.

Jory and Maddie were in different home rooms, but they both had History first period. Maddie looked at Jory's Stepmom. Mrs Chambers, with all due respect to Jory, didn't look like a woman who was entirely OK. She looked tense and very pale. The dark circles around her eyes made her look very tired and Maddie thought that she looked sick.

"Is your Stepmom OK?" She whispered to Jory halfway through the class.

"She's fighting off a virus." He whispered.

"She could do with some sun. I can't believe they stuck her down here in the basement. Mrs Fletcher's room is warm and sunny."

"It's intentional. Stephanie's got Photodermatitis. She's allergic to the sun."

"Really?"

"Yes, she breaks out in an ugly rash if she gets in direct sunlight. It's not much of a problem in Alaska."

"How's she going to manage here?"

"She covers up as much as she can and she keeps out of the sun. That's all she can do."

Despite Mrs Chambers not looking in the best of health, Maddie found her to be a good teacher. At the end, as she walked to the front of the class to leave, Jory caught up to Maddie.

"As we're neighbours, come say hello. I'll introduce you."

Jory and Maddie went over to Mrs Chambers' desk.

"Stephanie? This is Maddie Mitchell. She lives across the street from us. Kate and I walked to school with her today."

"It's lovely to meet you." She said and smiled at Maddie. She almost looked like she was going to cry.

"And you. I've already heard lots about you all from Kate."

Stephanie laughed. "Oh yes, she loves to talk. A word of warning, don't tell Kate a secret."

"OK!" Maddie smiled.

"I'll catch you up in minute, Mads. I just want to have a word with Stephanie."

Maddie nodded and walked out of the room. He'd called her Mads. She liked it. Mads was…affectionate and Jory Chambers was welcome to be as affectionate as he wanted.

She wandered out into the hallway and found Angel waiting for her.

"Well good morning." She beamed. "Did you eat the shiny new boy, already?"

Maddie grinned. "No, he's just talking to Mrs Chambers. She's his Stepmom."

"Oh, OK. I hope he's telling her to go home, she doesn't look well."

"Jory says she's fighting off a virus."

Angel considered this, a cheeky twinkle in her bright blue eyes. "And what else does Jory say? You know that Marla's already got you in her sights, because he very deliberately sat next to you."

"I can't help it that he and his sister live across the street. We walked to school this morning, so I got a head start. I'm sure Marla will catch up." Maddie smirked.

"I'm sure she will. So what's he like then?"

But Maddie didn't get chance to answer, because Jory came out of the room and walked down to them.

"How is she?" Asked Maddie.

"Feeling better. Happier too now that her first class went OK."

"OK?" Replied Angel. "She's good. History might not be so boring after all."

Jory smiled and looked at Maddie. He angled his head pointedly in Angel's direction. Maddie didn't know for a moment what he was trying to hint at.

"Oh! Yeah. Introductions." Maddie finally clued in. "Jory, this is my best friend Angel Williams. Angel, this is Jory Chambers, my new neighbour."

Jory and Angel shook hands and the pale pink blush spreading over Angel's cheeks told Maddie that she wasn't the only one who had been captivated by the awesome Alaskan. They made their way down to their next class and when the three of them swept in, laughing from a shared joke, Maddie was ecstatic, because Marla Goldberg looked as though she was sucking on the world's sharpest lemon. The new kid wasn't hanging out with the cool kids; he was hanging out with the geek girls.

If Maddie Mitchell and Angel Williams had one thing in common it was computers. Angel's Dad, Michael was the head of R&D at Elba and over the last ten years, Elba had been steadily taking on the big boys of computer software and winning. Elba had originally worked on bespoke software systems; but Helen, seeing where the market was going, had told Michael to focus on developing software for the public. Helen Mitchell was the visionary and people like Michael made it happen for her. It was Michael's department that Maddie's Dad had worked in and Michael had told Maddie how annoyed he'd been, when Helen's dislike of Daniel after their split had forced out one of his most talented software developers. Daniel had ended up at one of their rivals, Sirius.

"I could pick out your Dad's code anywhere." He'd told her one day when they'd invited Maddie over for dinner.

Angel had scoffed at that. "Dad, everybody writes code in the same way."

Michael Williams shook his head. "No they don't. The really good ones have a style."

"What made it special?" Asked Maddie. She never doubted for one moment that her Dad had been anything other than a pretty special guy. What Dad wasn't?

"Well, the speed at which he could produce it for one thing."

"Daniel Mitchell, fastest code-writer in the west." Jibed Angel and then realised that she was making jokes about Maddie's dead father. "Sorry." She smiled apologetically.

"No, it's OK. I'm glad to hear he was good at his job."

"He was _very _good at his job." Said Michael. "His coding still underpins a great deal of what we do."

"Can we talk about something else other than software?" grumbled Angel's Mom. The three other people around the table wondered why on earth anybody would want to do that.

Jory Chambers turned out to be right at home hanging out with the geek girls, because he turned out to be an A-grade geek himself. At lunch, he pulled out his flexible tablet and immediately marked himself out as someone who knew his stuff.

"You have a _Sirius?_" Said Maddie, impressed as she pulled her own _Sirius_ tablet out of her bag. "Snap."

"Me too!" Added Angel. "They're the only things worth having these days." Angel ejected the screen open. The little pocket-sized device did everything and, at a command, could expand to a bigger-sized screen so you weren't trying to watch movies on a postage stamp.

"My Dad doesn't use anything else but Sirius, he says they're the best." Replied Jory.

"For devices, yes; but Elba still kicks ass on apps." Said Angel. "What does your Dad do?"

"He's a software developer."

"My Dad's head of R&D at Elba." Said Angel, "Maddie's Mom runs the company." She added. "We _know_ software." She said conspiratorially.

Jory looked at Maddie. "Your Mom is Helen Mitchell?"

"Guilty as charged." Maddie replied.

"Woah. I'm impressed. I think my Dad might be impressed too, knowing we live across the street from you guys. Maybe it'll help his bid get preferential treatment." Jory grinned.

"For the Solace Foundation?" Maddie asked. "Your Dad's working on stuff for the Solace Foundation?" She slumped her head forward theatrically onto the table. _"Gah!"_ She lifted her head and looked squarely at Jory. "Can you ask him _not_ to bid for it?"

"Why? It's a huge contract."

Maddie gave an equally huge sigh. "Believe me, I know it is. My Mom eats, sleeps, breathes and shits the Solace Foundation. There isn't a single thing in her life that isn't about the Solace Foundation, and if I hear about the fucking Solace Foundation one more time, I think I might kill someone!" Even Jory's calm was disturbed by Maddie's outburst.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked.

"Well it's not the concept, that's fine; I don't have a problem with what they're trying to do. God knows San Francisco needs all the help it can get; It's just _her_, Veronica Johnson. I hate her, I hate her, I _hate_ her!"

Angel hid her face behind her hands and spoke from behind them. "If Jory's Dad is bidding for work from it, I don't think you should be giving him your '_Twenty reasons why I hate Veronica Johnson'_, routine."

"No, I'm fascinated." Jory settled back in his seat with a smirk. "Tell me more."

"Please don't." said Angel. "Or at least leave it until I'm not here."

"OK, fair enough." Said Jory. "But I want to hear why she gets on your nerves."

"Number one, she's always at our house."

"Not _now_ Maddie!" Angel got up, scooped up her empty lunch bag and hurled it into the trash. "I'll see you guys later." Angel turned to Jory. "If she starts inventing reason number twenty one, gag her."

Angel stalked off. Maddie closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. Why Veronica Johnson got up her nose so much she couldn't explain. Six months ago this woman had been no part of their lives and now, there was nobody and nothing else that her Mom cared about more, than this woman and her fucking Solace Center.

"Sorry." Said Maddie opening her eyes to Jory's concerned expression. "The woman presses my buttons."

"I can see that. What is it in particular that gets to you, other than the fact she's always at your house?"

"Well, hopefully that's at an end because they finally got some offices to work out of. Mom secured an empty office block in the Presidio, right by _Elba_. Handy for her to run back there, just in time to stop it going tits up."

"Taken her eye off the ball?"

"Yep. Thankfully she has people like Angel's Dad and Tony and Norah and Rob who are good at running the ship without her. Right now, her life is the Solace Foundation. It's just taken over everything."

"You resent this Veronica getting in the way of your family time?"

Maddie blinked at Jory as if he had spoken Swahili to her. "Family time? What's that? You'll have to explain that one to me." Her tone was laced with sarcasm.

Jory furrowed his brow at her, not understanding.

Maddie continued. "I don't know how it is in your house, but the last time I ate a meal with my Mom was in about 2009. I don't _have_ a family." She spat, the hurt more apparent than she wanted to make it. "Since Dad died, I've pretty much brought myself up; with the help of a selection of Nannies and Margaret, our housekeeper. My Mom barely remembers that I exist and when she does, it's so she can use me for something." Maddie suddenly remembered where she was and that Jory was getting it in the neck for something that wasn't his fault. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping this on you." Maddie ran her hand through her hair, her anxiety almost tangible.

Jory leaned forward and gave her other hand a brief, gentle squeeze.

"You don't need to apologise for some other person's failure."

She looked into his eyes, saw nothing but calm and her anxiety started to melt away. There was something about this boy that felt like being anchored in a safe harbour.

"I too suffer from an absent parent due to the Solace Foundation. My Dad's working night and day on this bid, in addition to all the other stuff he usually does, so I do understand a little. And of course I lost my Mom at an early age. I know that feeling."

"At least you know where she is." Maddie said. "The worst part about Dad is the not knowing. They drag people out of the Bay almost every week, but none of them are ever him. He just vanished. Nobody has ever tried to use his bank account, forge his identity, get into his apartment or anything. He must be dead, it's the only logical conclusion; but without a body it's hard to accept that."

"I can imagine."

"_Can you?"_ Maddie snapped. "Lots of people say they can imagine how bad it is. But there are few people who can truly comprehend what a never-ending hell this is!" The bell went for the end of lunch and Maddie stalked off to her next class, leaving Jory trailing in her wake.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Little House, Big House**

"After you." Said Jory, opening the front door to the Chambers' house and letting Maddie and Kate in before him. Kate threw down her bag, pulled off her shoes and skipped off into the kitchen, her long brunette ponytail swinging behind her.

"Dad, we're home!" She called.

"OK, keep the noise down, I'm working." Came the reply from somewhere else in the house.

Jory smiled. "He's always working. You won't see him."

"I saw him on Saturday." Said Maddie. "He was watching Kate while she was out on her bike."

"Oh yeah, Kate and her burning desire to check out her new territory." He smiled. "Anyway, welcome to our home. We're still unpacking, so please, mind the boxes."

Maddie hung up her coat and left her bag in the hallway with the others. There were already at least eight coats on the pegs and an assortment of shoes on the rack underneath. To the left were the stairs and to the right looked to be the living room, but Maddie followed Jory straight ahead into the large family room. It was the entire width of the house. The left hand side was the kitchen; the right hand side was the living area and over on the opposite side, under windows that ran almost the length of the room, was a dining table to seat six. Next to that was a large telescope. Along the far right-hand wall, either side of and above the screen, were bookcases. They were half-filled and by the looks of the boxes stacked up, there were plenty more books still to unpack.

Unlike her house across the street, this house was a home and had a lived-in look about it. The sofa had been purchased for comfort and not because it was the latest must-have design. There were cushions and throws and things left out. Adjacent to the door through which they'd come, was another door into the living room and Maddie took a peek into it. It was simply furnished, with a soft brown leather sofa, cream walls, reading lamps and even more books. There was no screen in here, but lots of pictures of Jory and Kate at various ages. A man's low voice drew her attention to a door on the far left of this room. That must be their Dad's office and by the sound of it, he was on the phone.

"Juice?"

Kate's voice made Maddie jump and she turned around to see Kate holding out a glass of orange juice for her. She took it.

"Thanks." She said.

"D'you want anything to eat?" Asked Kate. "I could get you a bagel?"

"That would be great."

"Cream cheese?"

"Yeah!"

Back in the family room, Jory flicked on the screen, put his own juice down and fell back onto the sofa. "Ten seconds." He said and looked at his watch.

Approximately seven seconds later there came the shout of _"Jory, turn it down!"_ from Mr Chambers. Jory obliged with a grin to Maddie. "Dad working at home has its downsides."

"At least he's here." Said Maddie. She sat down in an armchair and noticed the time, it was approaching four o'clock. "When does… Mrs Chambers get in?" Maddie was unsure of what to call her. Jory seemed to sense it.

"Call her Stephanie, I do. She'll stay until she's done everything for tomorrow. She has to run by the store too, because Kate's _eating us out of house and home again_." Jory said more loudly and pulled a face at his sister.

"I can't help that I'm growing." She grumbled. "It makes me hungry."

"You're always hungry. You came out hungry."

Kate stuck her tongue out at Jory.

"What does Kate call Stephanie?" Maddie asked.

"She's Mom to me." Kate replied, answering for her brother. "I don't remember… before."

Kate seemed a little uncomfortable and Maddie completely understood. Talking about your dead parent was never easy.

"Do you remember your Dad?" Kate asked.

Maddie nodded. "A little. It's been eleven years, so things are hazy. I think I could've invented some memories I have of him."

"Do you have any clear ones?" Asked Jory.

"He used to read to me at night. Well, as often as Mom would let him in the house." Kate handed Maddie her bagel. "He was working through the _Harry Potter _books."

"_Harry Potter?_ But you were six?" Jory questioned.

"Why not? I was never a _Junie B. Jones_ girl."

"Me either." Said Kate, flopping down on the sofa next to her brother. "_Harry Potter_ wins every time. I cried like a baby when Dumbledore died."

"Dumbledore dies? Shit! Thanks Kate." Maddie said with mock annoyance. "Perhaps I should've mentioned that I haven't actually read _Harry Potter_ since then. We were up to the bit in _The Goblet of Fire_ where Voldemort kills Cedric Diggory."

"Oops." Said Kate. "And you've not even seen the movies?"

Maddie shook her head. "No. _Harry Potter's_ too painful; it's too caught up with Dad."

Jory was looking at something behind Maddie and Kate waved. Maddie turned around in her seat, but there was no one there.

"Just Dad." Said Kate. "He stuck his head round the door on his way upstairs."

Maddie heard the creak of the stairs and was a little perplexed that he hadn't introduced himself. Mind you, not everyone was as bouncy and outgoing as Kate. Maddie's friend Eva was almost crippled by shyness and would barely speak to anyone she didn't know.

"Who's the astronomer?" Asked Maddie, pointing to the telescope.

"That's Stephanie's," said Jory. "That's old and mostly for decoration. The big thing's still in Alaska."

"_The big thing?"_ Maddie queried, amused.

"Yeah." Jory smiled. "It makes the Hubble look like a spyglass."

Maddie was going to ask why it was still in Alaska and then realised that she knew the answer to that. "You didn't bring it down because of the light pollution?"

"Right. And the fact that it's about the size of this room."

"Wow. So Stephanie's into astronomy?"

"They both are." Said Jory.

"My Dad started a degree in Astronomy. He didn't finish it."

"What happened?" Asked Jory

"He took a year out to earn some money, got a job at _Elba,_ met my Mom and I came along. He stayed home to look after me, so I think I pretty much totalled his hopes of going back."

"Maybe he preferred to be with you rather than studying?" Said Jory.

"Perhaps. But what guy in his early twenties wants to hang out with a baby when they can be out with friends? Stay at Home Dads are still rare."

Both Jory and Kate shook their heads.

"Not our experience," said Kate. "Dad stayed at home with both of us and in my case he had to." She said. "Makes it easier that he works from home anyway."

"I guess." Acknowledged Maddie.

"Some guys like being with their kids." Said Jory.

"I hear some Moms do too." Maddie hit back, suddenly stung by being the kid whose Mom didn't love her enough to be around.

"I'm sorry…"

"S'OK." Maddie cut Jory off, not wanting to hear apologies, this was her life. OK, she had a crap mother, but she was not a victim. Maddie stood up. "I'd better be going; I have a lot of work to do. Thanks for the juice and the bagel."

Maddie walked quickly to the door and Jory followed her.

"I didn't mean to upset you." He said.

"It's OK, really." Maddie pulled on her shoes and grabbed her bag.

"You don't have to rush off. Stay, hang out. Let Kate bore you to death with her rock collection."

Maddie smiled, a little pathetically.

"Look, I don't want this to come out the wrong way and please don't take it the wrong way; but you look like someone in desperate need of a hug. So… Would you like a free hug?"

Maddie's brow furrowed as she considered Jory's words. "What do you mean, _don't take it the wrong way_?"

"I mean, uh… this is hard to explain. I like you, but… I'm not…"

"Into girls? You do know it's OK to be gay, right?"

"I'm not gay, I'm just not…"

"That into me?"

"It's not that. You're lovely, but… You're not my type."

"Oh. OK." This was somewhat to the point, they barely knew each other. "What is your type, you know, just out of interest?"

"That's… Difficult. Look, I don't really have a type; all I know is that it's not you."

Maddie was struck by his need to keep saying that. "Is there a girl back in Alaska?" She snickered. "That's OK you know."

Jory looked irritated. "No. Look, that's not the issue here. Can I give you a hug, like a… brother might hug his sister?"

"A brotherly hug?"

"Yes. You can pretend I'm your big brother." He smiled.

"When's your birthday?"

"July."

"I'm ten months older than you."

"That doesn't matter, I'm taller than you."

"And I'm not your type?"

"No."

"Why not, exactly?"

"'Because… you're not. Can we drop that bit?"

"But you want to give me a hug?"

"Yes."

"_Why?"_

Jory brought his face close to Maddie's and spoke quietly. "Because I don't know anyone who's more in need of one right now, than you are."

Maddie stared at him.

"When was the last time someone hugged you?" He asked.

Maddie said nothing.

"Can you even remember?" He added.

Eventually, Maddie returned a reluctant nod. "Last September." She whispered.

"It's been a year since anybody hugged you?"

Maddie nodded weakly. Jory opened his arms and wrapped them around her. The effect was not unlike being enveloped in the world's biggest pain killer. Inside, the hurt gently numbed as she tentatively rested her forehead against Jory and let his calmness wash over her. He didn't speak, he didn't rock her, he merely held her until she realised she was drifting off to sleep. She pulled away.

"Better?" He enquired.

"Better." She replied with a little smile. She wasn't lying either, she really did feel better. He could do that again.

"Can I walk with you to school tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. And Kate too?"

"Probably not. Now she knows the way, she'll more than likely run." He grinned. "As you may have noticed, she rarely stays still."

As if to prove a point, Kate suddenly dashed by them and up the stairs.

"See you tomorrow!" She called.

"See you." Maddie replied. She turned back to Jory. "And I'll see you tomorrow too."

"OK." Jory opened the door for her and they said goodnight.

Maddie jogged across the street, up the right hand set of steps, onto the veranda and in through the front door of her house. There was no tangle of jackets and shoes by the front door here and it wasn't warm either. Maddie walked into the kitchen, through it and into the laundry room where she flicked the switch on the heating system to warm the place up. Back in the kitchen, Mrs Roberts had already gotten something in the oven. Maddie ducked down and noticed the small dish. Dinner for one again. Maddie sighed; dinner for one was the story of her life.

Just then, Margaret appeared.

"I thought I heard you come in. Your Mom called, she's staying with Roger tonight."

"Oh." Maddie was very grateful that her Mom was staying at Roger's place.

"Dinner's at six thirty." Mrs Roberts added.

"OK. I'll grab some coffee and do homework."

Maddie trudged upstairs and into her room. She placed her coffee on her desk and flicked on the desk lamp. Outside, the sky was darkening to steel grey and it was starting to rain. Maddie walked into her closet, pulled off her uniform and changed into combats and a sweater. With Roger not in the house she didn't need her Docs, so she pulled on slipper socks and padded back over to her desk.

Maddie's room was large and most of it was hidden in gloom, save for the pool of yellow light over her desk. In any other room, the massive white wooden bed would have looked too big, but in here it was almost lost in the space. Maddie had never seen the point of giving her such an enormous bed. She couldn't warm it up; she was always cold and usually slept away the winter months wearing more clothes than she'd wear outside. On the far side of her room were her closet and bathroom, whilst her front window gave a good view of the street outside. Maddie looked back across to the Chambers' house and suddenly felt sad. It looked such a happy little house, full of love and light and _stuff_. Meanwhile, she was rattling around in a showroom of modern interior design. Her Mom's purchasing policy in home décor was buying 'the best', regardless of function or comfort - hence the world's most uncomfortable sofa in the living room. Here in Maddie's room, the worst excesses of Helen's taste had been firmly resisted, apart from the stupid bed. The rest of it reflected Maddie well; being as stripped down and as utilitarian as she was. There were few concessions to childhood and those that remained were not on display. Everything in Maddie's room had a place. All her stuff was in closets, drawers or cupboards. Books were on shelves, clothes were on hangers and photographs were in frames or albums.

There was only one photo of her Dad out and that was on the table by her bed. It was one taken shortly before her sixth birthday. She had others, but they were safely stored away and rarely came out. She sat down at her desk and pulled out her homework. Her mind wandered back to Jory and the hug he'd given her. So he didn't want to date her and was at pains to stress that. Maddie guessed that there _must _be a girl back in Alaska for him to be making that much of a fuss. Perhaps Kate would know? Maddie would make a point of finding out.

OK, so Jory wasn't available right now, but the Alaskan girl wasn't here and Maddie was not someone who gave up easily. It had been a previous boyfriend of her mothers, who'd likened Maddie's grip on things to like having a pit-bull clamped around your ankle. Maddie had smiled to herself at that analogy; she was indeed cultivating the grip of a pit-bull. She was also working on getting the kick of a kangaroo, the attraction properties of a skunk and the punch of a prize-fighter. Nobody messed with her.

Maddie glanced out of her window again, in time to see Stephanie Chambers pulling on to her drive. Maddie watched as her teacher pulled her bag and groceries from the car. As she reached the front door it was opened for her. Maddie couldn't see for sure, her view was obscured by the branches of a tree, but the arm that grasped her around the waist and almost pulled her through the door had to be her husband. The door closed on the happy family home and Maddie suddenly felt very, very alone.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Be Careful What You Wish For**

"You're coming over." Said Jory, as he and Maddie walked home from school on Thursday afternoon.

"Jory, I…"

"No arguments." He cut her off.

Maddie laughed. "It's fine, really. I'm used to it."

"Well, you can get un-used to it. I told Kate that it was your birthday and of course she told Stephanie. We've made you a cake…"

"Oh man…"

"…With candles. So you can make your wish. And you can stay for dinner if you want."

"You don't need to fix everything."

"I'm not fixing everything, just this. I don't like the thought of you sitting alone in that big house on your birthday, when you could be across the street with us."

"I won't be alone, Margaret's always there. Stephanie didn't need to make me a cake."

"She didn't. Dad and Kate did, so it could have carrots in it, or some other shit. Kate's a bit experimental with food."

"Your Dad made me a cake?"

"_With Kate_." Jory stressed. "She broke the eggs and grated the cheese, or whatever the heck else she's put in."

"Yeah but, your _Dad?_ He hasn't even spoken to me yet."

"He's busy and he's not the most naturally sociable of people. He'll come round in time. Just give him a few weeks."

"Is he good at making cakes?"

"Well I'm no expert, but he hasn't killed anybody with them yet." Jory grinned.

Maddie laughed.

Jory faced her. "Come over, hang out and eat cake, even if it's just for a little while. We'd all feel better knowing that you'd had some kind of a birthday."

"OK. But just for a little while." Maddie said. There was a part of her that wanted to be alone with her memories of Dad tonight.

Jory, Kate and Stephanie sang Happy Birthday to her and Maddie flushed bright scarlet as she sat on a stool at the breakfast bar. She blew out the seventeen candles on the cake as Stephanie hugged Kate.

"Did you make a wish?" Asked Kate, excitedly.

"Yes."

"The clock guy?" Said Jory, grinning.

"Yeah, the clock guy." Said Maddie sheepishly, returning Jory's huge smile. And Dad, she'd wished for her Dad. She didn't know when another set of birthday candles would be coming her way.

Stephanie placed a gift bag and a card in front of Maddie. "I hope you don't mind, but you've helped Jory and Kate settle in here so well, that it's what Peter and I wanted to do."

"Thank you." Said Maddie, genuinely touched by the couple's generosity. She opened the card; it was signed from Peter, Stephanie, Jory and Kate. From the bag, Maddie pulled a solid crystal ornament. It was about twelve inches high, almost like an upside-down icicle, made of solid glass and very heavy. "It's gorgeous, thank you."

"I hope you have somewhere to put it?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh yeah, I have the perfect place for this."

Maddie was thrilled, it was very _her._ She loved things that were beautiful, unusual and not girly. Maddie turned it around, watching the facets catch the light.

The thwack of a bowl and spoon yanked her from her study of the crystal. Kate had smacked down a bowl of cake and ice cream in front of her.

"Kate, could you _try_ and be a little more careful with the dishes, please." Grumbled Stephanie.

"Sorry, I forgot." The girl's shoulders sagged.

Stephanie cupped Kate's face in her hands and angled it up so she could study it for a moment. Stephanie ran her thumbs under Kate's eyes. "You look tired. Bed early tonight instead of being up 'til all hours reading."

"Yes _Mom_." Kate poked her tongue out.

Stephanie laughed and kissed the girl's forehead.

Maddie suddenly felt as if she was intruding on a very private moment and dug into her cake and ice cream. It was fabulous. Kate and Peter Chambers could indeed make a very good cake.

By the time Maddie left the Chambers' house she was stuffed. She'd stayed for dinner too, eating with Jory and Kate. Stephanie and Peter were eating later. The three of them had eaten even more of the cake afterwards and Maddie, having insisted Stephanie and Peter take some for themselves, was taking the remainder home. She wandered into the kitchen to find Margaret watching the news and sipping coffee. On the counter top was a large, white, square box.

"Is that what I think it is?" Said Maddie, lifting the lid. Yes it was. Inside was the most enormous, professionally made birthday cake with candles picking out the number 17. No cakes for years and then two turn up at once. There was irony there. She put the lid back on the box, dropped her school bag on the floor and wandered over to the cupboard. From it she took a plate and from the drawer took a fork and a sharp knife. "Have some of this." Maddie said, cutting a slice of the homemade cake and handing it to Margaret. Maddie sat down across from her as the housekeeper took a forkful of cake.

Margaret's eyes widened. "That is good! They made you a birthday cake? How lovely!"

"Yes. And they bought me a gift too. I take it Mom's not home, yet?"

"No." Margaret sighed. "That arrived about an hour ago." She said, pointing to the cake box. "What a nice family. Just a simple, home-made birthday cake; what could be finer than that?"

"Jory's Dad made it with Kate."

"Did he? I haven't seen him yet. I've seen Mrs Chambers but not him."

"I haven't seen him either. Well, not properly. Jory says he's always working and he's a little shy."

"He certainly doesn't need to hide his cake-making skills. This is excellent." Margaret ate another forkful.

"Sorry for not giving you a lot of warning that I was staying for dinner. Jory kinda insisted."

"That's no problem, what I made will keep. I'm just glad somebody acknowledged your birthday. Oh!" Margaret got up and from the counter retrieved a card and put it down in front of Maddie. "I'm sure you can guess who this is from."

Maddie smiled and ripped open the card. It was from Grandma and Gramps. Inside was another note, inviting Maddie to her Grandpa's sixty fifth birthday party in October. Her Mom wouldn't be pleased about that, but Maddie didn't really care what her Mom thought. She'd go along. It had been a year since she'd last seen them.

"They never forget." Said Margaret. "On today of all days, too. What's in the bag?"

"It's a crystal sculpture from Stephanie and Peter, to say thank you for helping Jory and Kate settle in."

"That's generous of them."

"I know. I didn't really do anything other than hang around with Jory. Kate sort of takes care of herself."

Margaret gave Maddie a wry smile. "There's a lot of _Jory_ these days."

"He's not interested in me," Maddie said over-brightly. "He came right out with it, I'm not his type, apparently. And no, he says he's not gay."

"So he prefers blondes?"

"I don't know." Maddie shrugged. "He likes hanging out with Angel and me and that's fine. He treats us both like his sisters."

"But you'd rather he treated you as a potential girlfriend?"

Maddie looked rueful. "Is it that obvious?"

"No, but I know you well," replied Margaret, smiling. "He looks like a nice kid, handsome too. Not unlike your Dad back in the day."

Maddie chuckled and drifted off for a moment, into a contemplation of Jory's handsome face.

"Perhaps in time." Margaret continued, reaching over and placing a reassuring hand on Maddie's. "When he knows you better."

"Yeah." Maddie sighed. "I'd better get on with some work."

She grabbed her school bag and the gift bag and trudged off upstairs. She changed her clothes and placed the lovely new crystal piece on a shelf in her room. It was absolutely beautiful. A beep from her Sirius alerted her to an incoming message. She pulled it out and tapped the messages feature.

Dear Miss Mitchell

I appreciate that after all this time, this may come as a shock, but I have some information for you regarding the whereabouts of your father, Daniel Mitchell. I have not seen him since June 2012, but I understand that he is living to the north of San Francisco. I have the name of someone he is with, if you will meet me. I want to do this soon as there are those who would wish to hurt your father.

I know that you may not think this is genuine, but I remember him saying that you had a pink teddy bear called Ruby that used to go everywhere with you.

I hope that you'll meet me.

Dionne

Maddie stared at the screen and almost forgot to breathe. _Ruby?_ Ruby was in the bottom drawer of her bedside table with the copy of _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_. How would anybody know about Ruby, unless…?

Maddie hit reply.

I'll meet you. When? Where?

MM

Maddie stared at the screen until her eyes watered. Nothing happened for the longest time; nearly a whole hour went by and then finally, another message from Dionne appeared in her inbox. She opened it.

Meet me on Avery and Post, by ACE Hardware. 8pm tomorrow.

Dionne.

Maddie called up her maps and hit the street view. Her heart sank as she saw the graffiti-covered walls and the run-down appearance of the street. Still, it wasn't the middle of nowhere; it was between Port and Geary and it was only a ten minute drive. It was just down from the Fillmore, the last place that Maddie knew that her Dad had been. Was this the start of finally getting some answers as to what had happened to him that night? Her birthday wish had come true after all.

The hours of the evening ticked by, but Maddie couldn't study or settle to do anything. At one point she pulled out both Ruby and the _Goblet of Fire_. The bookmark was still in page 554, where her Dad had left it on the last night he read to her. Maddie sat on her bed and placed the book beside her. She took hold of Ruby and looked at the seventeen year old faded teddy bear. She was only a little bear, just right for a small girl to wedge under her arm and have as her constant companion. Maddie ran her fingers over the black button eyes and the brown stitched nose and mouth, which gave Ruby a friendly, happy look. Ruby's pink fabric body was well-loved and the filling inside had gone lumpy and had lost a lot of its shape. Ruby wasn't so much a pink bear these days as a grubby brown bear. She ran a finger over the seam of the fabric, exposing the clean pink colour underneath. Ruby badly needed a wash, but that would get rid of the bears' smell. Maddie held Ruby up to her nose and sniffed. She smelled musty now, she didn't smell how she was supposed to smell; of Maddie's bed, of sleep and of bedtime books with Dad. As Maddie took the bear away from her face, there was a bead of a teardrop on Ruby's head. Maddie clasped the bear tightly to her and tears of anxiety and relief ran down her cheeks. Finally, an answer after all these years!

Endless questions sprang up in her head. Questions that she'd asked a million times over the last even years, but now seemed far more pertinent. If he was alive, why had he not been in touch? Why had nobody ever found him? Why had he never tried to use his bank account or retrieve stuff from his apartment before it was cleared out six years ago? What had he been doing? What was he calling himself? Who was it who wanted to hurt him and who was Dionne? A lover? A wife? Another daughter?

These questions and a thousand others kept her awake until the early morning, at which point, with the clock saying 4.45am, Maddie got up and wandered over to the window. She pulled up the blind and looked out into the dark. Along the street, as bold as anything, trotted an urban fox. Maddie smiled as slightly ahead of it a cat dashed away. The fox stopped about fifty yards down the street to her right, turned and trotted back again. It got to about level with Maddie's house and then something that it could see and Maddie couldn't made it stop, scrabble backwards and run hell for leather in the direction it was originally heading. Maddie leaned forward to try and see what it was and from her left a man jogged into view. Maddie chuckled at the scaredy-cat fox. The man was clothed in black, but wearing a hi-visibility tabard over his running gear and a white peaked cap. Maddie watched him run down the Chambers' drive and up to the front door. It must be Peter out for an early morning run. Maddie watched as he went inside the house and switched on the downstairs lights. Quarter to five was a little late to try and go to sleep; she'd feel wrecked if she did. So she took a leaf out of Peter Chambers' book and went downstairs to start her day.

"Mads?" A gentle poke in the ribs brought her round with a jolt and she turned to see Jory looking at her with concern. "Are you OK?" He whispered.

She shook her head sadly. "I didn't sleep last night." She admitted.

"We only have another twenty minutes of English. Do you want to find somewhere to crash out at lunch? I know a teacher who'd let you use her room." He smiled.

Maddie stifled a yawn.

"Are we keeping you up Miss Mitchell?" Asked Mr Hardy, the teacher.

"No sir."

He stared at her and Maddie failed to hold back another yawn.

"_Out!"_

"_What?"_ Maddie questioned.

"You are unfit for this class."

"I'm just tired, I didn't sleep last night!" Maddie snapped.

"I don't care. Go home."

"_Huh?_" Maddie was genuinely incredulous. He was chucking her out of his class because she'd yawned? "Go home? Are you _serious?"_

"Deadly," he said, staring at her with the intensity of a laser beam.

"My Mom's not gonna be…"

"Your mother should take more care that her daughter is sent to school in a fit condition to work. Maybe I should speak to your mother."

"Well good luck with that, because I have difficulty enough contacting her at the best of times!" Maddie yelled. Her anxiety about tonight and lack of sleep had wound her as tight as a drum.

"You do not speak to me like that. _Get out!_" Mr Hardy shouted.

"With_ pleasure!_" Maddie shouted back. "And your class sucks." She added and stomped out into the empty hallway. She stalked off down to the exit, kicked open the doors and ended up out in the pouring rain. "Just fucking _great!_" She yelled. Maddie stared at the rain as if it was single-handedly responsible for this mess, feeling the cold water run down the collar of her shirt. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest and all she could think of was about getting to eight o'clock so she could meet Dionne.

The door opened behind her.

"Maddie?"

She turned around to see Stephanie.

"Jory messaged me and said you'd been kicked out of class. I have a free, would you like to wait it out in my room, or would you like me to take you home?"

Maddie stared at Stephanie; she was so tired that she could barely make a decision between the two options.

"I think you should go home." Stephanie added.

Maddie nodded.

"Come on. My car's over there."

Before Maddie knew it, Stephanie was pulling up outside her house. The ferocity of the rain quickly obscured the street outside once the wipers stopped.

"Do you have your keys?"

Maddie fished in her pockets. "Shit, no! They're in my bag in my locker. I'm so tired I can't think straight." Maddie was almost crying.

Stephanie put her hand on her shoulder. "Want to borrow our spare bed for the afternoon?"

Maddie looked at her with relief. "Could I?"

"Of course." Stephanie started the car again, reversed down the street and turned onto her own drive. The second car that was usually here wasn't on the drive. "Peter's out right now, so the house will be quiet until Kate and Jory get home. I'll message them and tell them to be quiet, in case you're still asleep when they return." She smiled and Maddie couldn't help noticing just how very pale she was. It must be a feature of the photo dermatitis. Her skin was almost white.

They went inside and Stephanie led the way upstairs. The family's spare room looked out over the street. It was small, but had everything that Maddie needed right now, just a bed. Stephanie lent her one of her own nightshirts to wear and Maddie stripped off her outer clothing, pulled on the shirt and slid gratefully under the quilt of the very comfortable bed. She was asleep the second her head touched the pillow.

The slam of a door jolted Maddie awake.

"Kate!" she heard an angry low voice call from out on the landing.

"Sorry Dad."

"Is she awake?"

Maddie recognised Jory's voice. "I am now." She said sleepily and hauled herself upright.

Jory stuck his head around the door of the room. "Coffee?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, please. What time is it?"

"Just gone four thirty. Kate managed to be quiet for a whole hour." He grinned.

Kate wandered in. "Sorry. The door slipped out of my hand."

"It's OK. I need to be up anyway."

"I'll get you some coffee." Jory said. "If you want to use the bathroom, it's right there." Jory pointed out of the room.

"Thanks." Said Maddie, suddenly a little concerned that she might have one of her more spectacular cases of bed hair. She'd discovered that her newly cropped hair could take on amazing shapes when she was asleep.

By the time Jory arrived back with coffee, Maddie was dressed, her hair was tamed and she was feeling part of the human race again. She was hungry and wonderboy had brought something else with him. Toast!

"Oh my God I'm so hungry." Maddie murmured as she bit into the bread. Her stomach lurched with butterflies. _Oh my God I'm so nervous_, she said in her head, when she thought about what was to come this evening. Jory wandered back into the room with two canisters.

"Angel sent these. They were giving them out at lunch."

"Uh… more supplies." Maddie said, grabbing the two canisters of Mace off him.

"More supplies?"

"San Francisco is a dangerous place for women, haven't you heard? We get two canisters every three months and we can pick up more from the office anytime."

"Lovely." Jory said, sarcastically. "I hope you don't go out at night?"

"Not usually and certainly not on my own." _Well apart from tonight_, she thought in her head. But she was following all the advice. She was meeting at a pre-arranged venue, in a (mostly) residential area and at a set time. That was sensible. Plus she'd have her car, her boots, her fists and both these canisters with her. Maddie wasn't going to let anything get in the way of the possibility of discovering more about her Dad.

Stephanie invited her to stay for dinner, but Maddie declined, she had to get back. Stephanie had used the master key to retrieve Maddie's bag from her locker and had assured her that nobody would be calling her Mom. Mr Hardy was having his own bad day and Maddie had merely gotten on the receiving end of that.

It was no surprise that her Mom wasn't in again when she returned. She'd not seen her all week. Maddie knew she'd been there because things appeared on or disappeared from her desk. Files mostly. Old cardboard files. Who used those these days? Maddie leaned on the door frame of her Mom's office and thought about how her Mom might feel to know that Daniel was still alive. Would she care at all? She'd been married to him, so surely there'd been a point in her life when she did care about him? Helen had never kept in social contact with any old boyfriends, even the lovely Stuart at the Mark Hopkins; although she wasn't above calling him for favours when she needed them. She'd once had a reputation for ruthlessness with people, but she was mellowing in her old age. Or perhaps it was just this Solace Foundation thing, that meant that she had to develop the skill of liking people.

Maddie picked at her birthday dinner leftovers in silence, her appetite blunted by the toast and a bad case of butterflies. She scooted back off upstairs and carefully dressed. When she was finished she stood back and looked at herself. What was that old word? _Badass?_ Yes, that was it. She looked _badass_. Maddie was carrying concealed weapons in her two canisters of Mace – _make that three_ Maddie thought, grabbing spare off a shelf and zipping it into a leg pocket. Maddie wasn't just a tooled-up teenager, she was quick and smart. She was Hermione Grainger, hidden inside the body of _Tank Girl_. The camouflage and the combats had never in that moment felt more necessary_. _

At seven forty five, Maddie slunk out to the garage, passing by the kitchen with a call to Margaret that she was going down to Paulette's and that she'd be back later.

"OK, take care." Replied Margaret. "You're not walking are you?"

"No, I'm taking my car."

"Good. The crime rate's still orbiting Venus."

"I know." Replied Maddie a little lamely. What else could she say? San Francisco was almost post-apocalyptic in places. Was it any wonder that crime was the biggest growth industry?

Maddie slid into the driver's seat of her bright red Volvo. Who'd have thought that such a previously boring car company could come up with the must-have car of the moment and such a cool advertising campaign to go with it? Volvo had long had a reputation for safety, but finally they'd combined it with some considerable style, making the little X300 coupé the _must have_ car amongst her girlfriends. It was fast, it was sexy and it dodged around the gasoline rationing in the city, by running on fuel cells developed in conjunction with the European Space Agency. Plus, it came with the best safety features in its class, so it appeased the concerned parent in buying this particular car for their kids. Maddie's only gripe was the colour. She'd wanted a black one but a red one had been delivered. As she waited for the door to rise, Maddie gripped the wheel, trying to clear her head of imagining what was to come and only focussing on getting to Avery Street without getting carjacked or stopped by the Police.

The ten minute journey seemed to take forever, although traffic was light. Few people ventured out these days and those that did were usually the rich who could afford the insane gas prices. She drove a fraction under the speed limit all the way; driving smoothly, calmly and without the aid of music.

She parked up on Post Street. It was reassuringly well lit. Maddie got out of the car, locked it and started walking towards the hardware store. Along the bottom half of the wall facing Avery Street was an intricate design, which Maddie couldn't decide was graffiti or art. As she approached the corner, a woman walked out of Avery Street, stopping her in her tracks. Even though it was dark, she was wearing sunglasses.

"I'm Dionne. Thanks for meeting me." She said in clipped tones. "Let's walk."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Stairway to Hell**

Dionne gestured back down Post Street that Maddie had just walked up. Maddie turned back and fell into step beside the woman. Dionne had long dark hair and was wearing a short, dark, belted trench coat. They walked in silence for most of the block until they had almost reached the intersection with Steiner Street.

"We'll walk a little further." Dionne said and turned left down Steiner. A little way down they came to a parking lot. "In here," said Dionne and Maddie watched as the woman effortlessly broke the lock and let them both in. Across the parking lot was an exit to Avery Street and the side entrance of the hardware store. They had walked two sides of a triangle. Dionne turned immediately left into the stairwell of an apartment block and gestured to the concrete stairs. "You'd better sit, for what I have to tell you." She said.

Maddie complied and shivered a little as she felt the cold of the concrete through the fabric of her pants.

Dionne stood in front of her and Maddie waited expectantly for her to speak, but she didn't for what seemed the longest time. Dionne's lips were parted as if she was about to say something, so Maddie didn't interrupt.

"I don't quite know where to start." Dionne said quietly. "But perhaps I need to warn you first."

"Warn me?"

"While we're here, if anybody approaches us, you must not tell them who you really are. Make up a name, now."

Maddie nodded. "OK."

"Your name is known around here and that, along with you knowing what happened to your father, puts both of us in grave danger. You, more than me. If that's too great a risk for you, say now and you can go."

"Will I be at risk from the people who want to hurt my Dad?" Maddie said, alluding to Dionne's message.

"Yes. And from others who will not want you knowing what I can tell you."

"Why do they want to hurt him?"

"They don't want to hurt him as you would understand it. What they want is to bring him back here and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want that to happen."

"Why not?"

"Imagine being dragged back to hell. That's why I don't think he'd want to come back."

"So you want to warn him that these people are looking for him?"

"Yes."

"Why can't you do that yourself?"

"Because, unlike you, I don't have the ability to search for him. I can tell you who I think he's with, but I can't search for him myself."

"Why not? Don't you have a computer?"

"No. Even contacting you took months of planning."

"Why?"

"Because my movements are controlled."

"By whom?"

Dionne said nothing for a moment. "Are you absolutely sure that you want me to tell you?" She added.

"Yes."

"Do you understand that it could get you killed?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what you know of your father's last movements."

Maddie launched into her well-worn spiel. "A security tape picked him up leaving the Fillmore with Aidan at 11.13pm on September 30th, 2010. Another picked him up crossing Geary a few minutes later. After that, nothing."

"He walked up to this parking lot." Said Dionne. "Both gates were open that night and he decided to take a short-cut. He lived on Sutter, yes?"

Maddie nodded.

"He was attacked right here and taken over to that building there." Dionne pointed to the Hardware store. "Do you know what that place is?"

"A hardware store?"

"It's a hardware store, by day. But by night it's the entrance to hell."

Maddie's blood turned to ice in her veins. "What are we doing here then?" She suddenly felt nauseous.

"Because if I am caught anywhere else in the city, I will be ripped to pieces and incinerated."

Maddie stared at Dionne. "For real?"

"For real."

"What animal runs that place?"

"It's run by a vampire, for vampires."

Maddie's head took several seconds to process what Dionne had said.

"My Dad was…"

"Changed into a vampire."

"And you are…?" She whispered.

Dionne removed her sunglasses and stepped into the glow cast by an exterior light. "A vampire too."

Maddie's head was shouting _'Don't scream!'_ as she stared at the bright red eyes in front of her. Instinctively she started to back away by reversing up the stairs on her butt.

Dionne put her hands up, trying to reassure her. "I won't hurt you, I'm not thirsty. These things are not easy to say, but it's the truth. It's what happened to him that night, why nobody has ever found him and why he couldn't ever come home."

"My Dad's a vampire?"

Dionne nodded.

Maddie was panic-stricken, suddenly assaulted by the magnitude of what she'd been told. There were vampires in San Francisco and her Dad was one of them. Her brain tried to ask fourteen million questions at once and for a while, she alternated between staring at Dionne and staring at the door on the side of the building. Finally, in her mental clamour, one question rose to the surface.

"So where is he now?"

Dionne pointed to the space beside Maddie. "May I sit down?"

"Sure." But Maddie wasn't.

Dionne sat down and the human girl stared in wide-eyed anxiety at the red-eyed vampire beside her. "You're not going to… eat me?"

Dionne smiled a little sheepishly. "No. I'm about as safe as I get around humans. I hunted early this morning."

"And when will you…?"

"Not for another couple of weeks."

"Oh." Maddie said and furrowed her brow at the fact she was casually talking about the murder of fellow humans with a vampire.

"You want to know where he is? The truth is that I don't know _where_ he is, but I do know who he's probably with or at least who he _was_ with. It will be a start."

"And that is?"

"He's with some other vampires called the Cullens; specifically a vampire called Edward Cullen. Back in the summer of 2012, Daniel brought in this girl he'd found in the city. She was unusual, half human and half vampire. At the time, our coven was led by a man called Carlo and your father was his fetch and carry guy. Hybrids are rare, I've never seen another one and Carlo was planning to give her as a gift to the vampire leader. Anyway, this girl's father, Edward Cullen showed up and took her back. Daniel got involved somehow and I think as a thank you for trying to protect his daughter, he took Daniel away with him. He still appears to be with these _Cullens_, whoever they are."

"But you don't know where they are?"

"No. That's where I'm hoping you can help. I figured that you, more than anyone, might want to know what happened to your Dad."

"I do, but; he's a… what you are. He might not see me as a daughter, more as… dinner."

"I don't think he would. You were all he could think about." Dionne gave Maddie a gentle smile. "I know he would love to see you again. At least the Daniel I knew wanted to see you again. It's been nine years since I last saw him."

Maddie detected a sadness in Dionne. "Did you and he have a _'thing'_?" She asked.

Dionne shook her head. "He didn't for me, but I did for him. I guess you know how wonderful he was."

"He's a fading memory." Maddie admitted.

"Well, my memories of him are perfect and he was an amazing, wonderful man who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. As we all were."

"When did you become a vampire?"

"November 1973."

"No way, but you're… like, my age."

"I was frozen in time at nineteen and as long as someone doesn't rip me apart and burn the pieces, I'm immortal."

"So you've been a vampire for forty eight years?"

Dionne nodded. "I do have an ulterior motive in asking for your help to find Edward Cullen. I'm hoping you might persuade him to take me away, too. Forty eight years is a long time to be going through a nightly hell in that place." Dionne nodded her head in the direction of the hardware store.

"What goes on there?"

"Everything. It's a circus of every sick sexual thing you can think of and Diego is the ringmaster. He's the one who wants your father back. He wants him because of his skill with computers and also, because Edward Cullen took away his favourite boy."

Maddie felt as if she were going to throw up.

"You should know that your father never wanted to do any of that stuff; but with Diego, you don't have a choice, it's do or die." Dionne's voice was barely audible to Maddie. "It's …_hideous._ And he brings in humans too. Sadly, there are many in this city who need money for drink or drugs and Diego gives them a way to pay for it, if they survive. Few do." Dionne looked close to tears. She suddenly turned towards Maddie, moving too quickly in a blur and making Maddie gasp and recoil in shock. "Sorry." She said, apologetically. "So will you help me?"

"You want me to find Edward Cullen?"

"Yes."

"But he's a vampire. I didn't know vampires existed until a few minutes ago, who says he's going to want to be found?"

"There must be some way of finding him, because I was told they've sort of wormed their way into society. They might have some business interests that you can search for? All I know is that they are a thorn in the side of the Volturi, so they must be very powerful."

"The what?"

"The Volturi, the vampire Police. They're the ones that'll be ripping me apart if they ever find out that this conversation took place. They're the ones that'll come after you too if ever speak a word of this to another person. They have spies everywhere; so say nothing to anyone, not even your best friend."

Maddie could not imagine ever talking about vampires with Angel. Her friend held the whole realm of fantasy and sci-fi in utter contempt.

"Won't they pick up on me searching for the Cullens?"

"I don't know." Dionne levelled. "This is where it gets dangerous. Only proceed if you're absolutely sure." Dionne rose from the step. "And now you really must go. This place doesn't open for an hour yet, but it's best that you're safely away."

Maddie stood up too. "What about the people who live in this neighbourhood, don't they notice anything?"

"I don't think so. Vampires can move quickly, so they wouldn't usually be seen. Like your Dad, the first thing they'd know about them would be when they were scooped up and propelled at speed towards that door."

"And what happens then?"

"Well, either they're dinner or they're bitten and left in a cell in unbearable agony for three days."

"It hurts?" Maddie asked quietly.

"What part of _unbearable agony_ don't you understand?" Dionne snapped. "Of course it fucking _hurts_, as does every moment of the vampire life! This isn't a lifestyle choice, you know? I can't just let myself back into my apartment and pitch back up at my job in the salon. All I want is human blood, _all_ the time."

"So why do you think that my Dad's going to be any different?"

"Because he loves you and he did what he could to see you. He worked at not wanting to kill you."

"What?" Maddie's heart almost stopped.

"He used to camp out on your balcony some nights, back when you lived on Jackson. When you moved out to the Presidio, he couldn't, 'cause your room was at the front of the house. He told me he used to go and sit on the roof of a little house across the street and watch your window."

Maddie imagined her father, sitting on the apex of the roof of the Chambers' house. "He was so close…" She murmured.

"He would have been so dangerous."

Maddie looked to Dionne, questioning.

"The early years of being a vampire are the hardest ones." She said. "That's when the desire for blood is at its strongest. He would have probably killed you had he managed to get into your room. I can only do this because I've been a vampire for a while."

"How will he be now?"

"Calmer. There will be longer gaps between his need to hunt. You might get close enough to talk face to face, but I'm making no guarantees. Eleven years isn't that long. But enough now, you should go. Message me if you find something. I'll try and find more about the Cullens." Dionne led Maddie out of the stairwell and back into the parking lot. They walked towards the gate, away from the sinister door on the other side of the lot. "I won't walk with you, I know it's still early yet, but don't ever hang around here after nine."

"I'll be sure not to."

"It's been nice to meet you."

"And you."

"I hope we can meet ag…" Dionne's face froze.

"Go on." Said a man's voice behind Maddie. "Such a touching scene." He walked around into view. He was a tall, dark-haired man, wearing dark glasses and a black leather jacket. "Maybe you should stick around for a while and meet Dionne some more." With him was a skinny, blonde-haired youth, who was no more than a boy.

"Diego." Dionne said, pleasantly, although Maddie could see his name had been said as a warning to her to watch her mouth. "You're here early."

"I'm meeting a client. He has a particular request." Maddie couldn't see Diego's eyes behind his glasses, but she felt sure he was looking her over. "A request your friend here might be able to fulfil."

"No… I don't think…" Started Dionne.

"Oh I _do_ think. I don't have time to hunt one up and he'll be here soon. She'd be perfect." Diego suddenly clamped his hand over Maddie's mouth and grabbing a fist full of her pants waistband, lifted her as if she was weightless and propelled her towards the fearsome door. Maddie wriggled and kicked for all she was worth, but for nothing. The hand over her mouth was as cold and as hard as stone and just as immovable.

Beside them, Dionne pleaded. "No, Diego, _no!_ Not her, please not her."

"I don't have time." He hissed. "He wants dark hair, lithe, clean and untouched, he was very specific."

Maddie's brain was having a rabbit-in-the-headlights moment, but from somewhere, a sarcastic voice jibed that if this vampire wanted 'untouched' he was two months too late. Justin and she'd had a mutual shedding of their virginity over the summer. Clean? What did that mean?

"Couldn't he have someone else?" Dionne was anxious now. "She's a friend."

"Like I said, I don't have time." Diego kicked open the door. "And who the hell said you could have a friend?" He carried the protesting Maddie down the stairs into hell.

At bewildering speed she found herself bound at the wrists, mouth taped and in a small metal cage that she couldn't stand up in; the sort of thing that Maddie had seen in pet stores for large dogs. The door was slammed shut and bolted. Dionne sunk down to her knees in front of the cage.

"I'm so sorry." She said. Her eyes were as wide with fear as Maddie's were. Maddie could see little in the gloom but over Dionne's right shoulder, she could see that they weren't the only ones here.

In the middle of the room was a sunken oval-shaped pit, around which there were steps. On these steps sat a few other people, Maddie had to assume they were vampires because there was something definitely not human about their movements. Diego, followed by the blond-haired boy crossed the oval and went and sat in a large throne-like seat at the head of it. The blonde haired boy knelt down by the side of the chair. As her eyes adjusted more, Maddie became aware of frantic movement to her left. At the side of the space a naked male vampire had, (she assumed) a female vampire on her hands and knees and was thrusting into her at a speed Maddie could not comprehend. It wasn't what they were doing, so much, as the speed at which they were doing it. It went on and on and absorbed Maddie so much that she didn't see Diego kneeling down in front of her cage and unlocking it again.

"You want it like that?" Diego's voice shocked her and she turned her head to look straight into his scarlet eyes. "Well tonight could be your lucky night. _Get out._" Diego stood by the cage door as Maddie did her best to scramble out and stand up. Dionne was nowhere to be seen. "Now, I'm assuming that you know what we are?"

Maddie nodded.

"So I don't need to explain things. But this place prides itself in being able to cater for every taste and it just so happens that there's a gentleman here whose taste is for human virgins. You will of course be well compensated. There will be one thousand dollars in cash for you at the end of your hour with him, during which I expect you to comply fully with his needs. Dionne is greeting him now. I am going to remove this tape, after which the only sound you will make is to tell me your name. Anything else and my boy will do that to you," Diego pointed at the still copulating couple. "And suck you dry, understand?"

Maddie understood perfectly how it was impossible to say no to Diego, his face and his voice had a compulsion to them. She nodded.

"Noah."

The blond haired boy rose from his position by Diego's throne and walked quickly over to them. Maddie understood that Noah now held the position that her Dad previously had. She scanned his face; he must be barely sixteen.

Diego lifted the corner of the tape and removed it from her mouth, balling it up and casting it onto the floor.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Angel Williams." She replied, without hesitation. There were footsteps to the side of her and Diego turned her to face Dionne and another vampire coming down the stairs.

"He's paid for total exclusivity for twenty eight days and a private room." Dionne replied.

"With pleasure, Mr…?"

"Whitlock." The vampire stepped forward. He was tall and seemed to be suffering from barely controlled rage.

"I'm sure you'll find her to your taste." Said Diego in a tone that seemed designed to soothe and keep the customer happy.

"We'll see." Snapped Mr Whitlock.

"Number four please, Dionne." Diego pushed Maddie forward and, following Dionne, she walked with the unfriendly vampire around the oval and down a hallway with rooms off to either side.

"I'll take it from here," the man snapped at Dionne. She handed him the key and retreated, never once taking her eyes from Maddie.

"I'm sorry." She mouthed.

Maddie smiled, to try and reassure Dionne or herself, who knew?

Mr Whitlock opened the door, pushed Maddie inside, flicked on the light and locked it behind them.

"Sit down Maddie." He said, shocking her to her core. "I know who you are and I know that you're not supposed to be here."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Arrangement**

The vampire had to tell her twice, pointing this time at the chair in the corner of the room. "Sit down and don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

Maddie sat down in the chair next to the table. The vampire placed his backpack on the bed and from it took a Sirius and, surprisingly, a drinks flask. He placed them on the table and brought over the other chair from the other side of the room.

"You look like you could use some coffee." He said as he sat down. He unscrewed the flask and poured a generous amount of hot coffee into the lid. "Drink, and then I'll explain how I know who you are."

Perplexed at the turn of events, but not ungrateful for something familiar, Maddie sipped the coffee and the warmth spread through her body much like life returning to nature after the coldest of winters. She felt calmer now, much calmer. Was there something in this coffee? As she took sips, she stole glances at this man… this _vampire_ who knew who she was. He was tall with wavy blond hair. He was pale and his intense red eyes were very noticeable in the surround of white skin. He was well dressed and on the fourth finger of his left hand he wore a wedding ring, although he didn't look old enough to be married.

"Better?" He smiled.

Maddie nodded.

"Explanations then." He said holding out his hand in greeting. "Jasper Whitlock."

Maddie shook his hand; it seemed the polite thing to do. Just like Diego's it was cold and hard.

"And you are Madison Mitchell, known as Maddie. This meeting should not have taken place until next week and absolutely not here. But, for reasons best known to yourself, you decided to come here; meaning that I had to get from Italy in less than twenty hours during an air traffic controllers strike." He looked to be slightly annoyed with her. "Why did you come here? Of all…"

"I didn't come here of my own free will!" she snapped, cutting him off. "I was out in the parking lot and that jerk Diego brought me in here… for _you!_" She was irritated at being on the back foot with him. He knew more about her than she knew about him. "He said you had particular _tastes_." The word was repulsive to her. "You wanted a… virgin."

"That was what I had to say to get in here. In reality, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Well that's good then because I'm not a virgin." She threw that out there, with no real idea why. It seemed a pathetic defence.

Jasper looked like he'd been smacked in the face. "You're _not?_" He asked.

"No," said Maddie, in a tone that voiced contempt for his moralistic tone. "It's twenty twenty one for crying out loud, nobody's a virgin these days. Anyway, what's it to _you?_"

"Well… nothing…"

"Good!" Maddie asserted before he had chance to add anything.

Jasper suddenly grinned and it unsettled her.

"At the briefing meeting for this, we got a profile of you. And you are nothing like I imagined you to be."

_"Briefing meeting?"_ Maddie's brow furrowed. She'd come into this room thinking she was going to leave needing vaginal reconstruction surgery and now things had taken an even weirder path. "Am I being watched?"

"No. We have a job that needs doing and it's my role to contact you and ask for your help with that."

Maddie sipped the last of her coffee and Jasper refilled it. "OK, tell me." She said. An idea had occurred to her and she was in the mood to do business with vampires.

Jasper leant back, resting his forearm on the back of his chair. "I don't know whether you realise it, but you have wandered into the septic heart of the biggest vampire coven in North America." He said quietly. Maddie had to lean forward a little to hear him. "There are about thirty vampires working this city, that's why your crime rates, murder rates and disappearances are off the scale. That number of vampires in one place puts a lot of pressure on the environment. But it's being artificially racked up, in order to sell San Francisco the answer." He said quietly. "I'm sure you can guess what that is?"

Maddie didn't need to even think. "The Solace Center." She whispered.

"Yes, the well-timed answer to a city's prayers. Or so you're being led to believe. But what the city doesn't know, is that the Solace Center and the Solace Foundation themselves are just the cleverly designed business-dealings of vampires."

"_What?_ The Solace Foundation is… My Mom's best friends with their North American CEO."

"Your Mom's best friend is a vampire."

"Veron…"

_"Shhhh!"_ Jasper placed his finger across her lips.

The name had come out with much more volume than she was intending. Shock did that to you.

"Not so loud." Jasper continued in a whisper. She's part of this coven and secrecy is the name of the game here. Anyhow, the thing is, not every vampire believes that our kind should be operating in this way. It's only a matter of time before somebody goes snooping and the real _raison d'être_ of this Center becomes known. We know that, because we're the ones going snooping. What other countries have yet to catch on to, is that the Solace Center is a funnel, so that the vampires of the host cities can have their victims pretty much on tap. In essence, it's the twenty first century equivalent of a Nazi death camp and we're against that."

"I'm very glad to hear it," replied Maddie. She was shocked at how calm she was, almost as if her 'sense and reason' bits were holding her 'screaming and freaking out' bits at gunpoint.

"So a few of us have banded together to try and bring this thing down and we think we have a way, if you will help us? What do you say?"

"Will it be dangerous?"

Jasper shook his head. "Not your bit of it. If you are able to keep this entirely to yourself and obtain what we want discreetly and promptly, then there _should be_ no danger to yourself."

"Should be?"

"You can never fully trust vampires. Thankfully, we have one in our group who can see the outcomes of the decisions they make. We have other things to protect you with too, which I'll give you later."

"So, what will it involve?"

"Essentially, collecting information and passing it on to our people."

"Why do you need it?"

"Evidence and so that we can protect other people involved when the net closes."

"Protect people?"

"This whole venture is underpinned by the vampire Police,"

"The… _Volturi?"_ Maddie whispered. She'd remembered the unusual name from earlier.

Jasper's eyebrows raised. "You know a lot."

"I know a little." Maddie snapped.

Jasper had an amused smile on his face.

"You were saying?" Maddie tried to bring him back from whatever he was finding funny. "What are the Volturi going to do to these people?"

"If we don't succeed in bringing this coven down, they'll _clean up_. In human terms, go after them and kill them."

"Would there be a threat to the life of my Mom, seeing as she's heading up the cheerleading for this Solace Center with, um… this woman?"

"Yes."

"Noted, and that point makes this one relevant. If I agree to do this for you and this threat to my Mom's life exists, then I want something from you in return."

"From _me?"_ Jasper was perplexed.

"Yes, from you."

"You want help from a vampire? What help can I possibly give you that you can't get in the human world?"

"Help to find another vampire outside the city."

"Oh."

"Can you do that for me?"

"I can try."

"Good, because it's the reason I wound up here tonight, looking for vampires. Well, I wasn't looking for vampires when I started out, but I am now and I'm looking for one in particular. Edward Cullen. Do you know him?"

Jasper shook his head. "No I don't, but I can ask around."

"In places that I can't ask, I hope? 'Cause if you're just going to Google him then I can do that myself."

Jasper smiled again. "You're quite feisty aren't you?"

She scoffed, as if he was an idiot. "You have to be. Don't you live in San Francisco?"

Jasper shook his head. "No."

"Where do you live?" His accent was southern, she was expecting Texas.

"Right now, it's best described as 'here and there'. My wife and I are between homes."

"You don't look old enough to be married."

Jasper looked barely twenty.

"I'm one hundred and seventy seven." He said.

"No shit?"

"No, as you say, shit."

"When were you… changed?"

"1863."

"Wow." Maddie gave an involuntary laugh.

"I'm glad you find me funny."

"I don't, I'm just… trying to get my head around tonight."

"So, why do you need to find this Edward Cullen?"

"Because my Dad used to be part of this coven and this Edward came and took him away from it. Now Diego out there wants him back and I need to warn him about that."

"Ah…" Said Jasper and not in a way that Maddie found reassuring.

"What do you mean, _'ah'?"_

"If this is two vampires fighting over their mates, this could get nasty."

"Mates?"

"Their sexual partners."

"My Dad was straight. Dionne told me that Diego forces people to do stuff. Did you see that blond boy out there? That's the position my Dad had. Turns out he was Diego's favourite. Anyway, this Edward Cullen has a daughter, a half vampire half human _thing_ that my Dad brought in for the guy who was leading the coven back then. He tried to rescue her and Edward Cullen took my Dad away, Dionne seems to think it was a way of saying thanks."

"A half vampire, half human _thing_?" Jasper's eyes narrowed. "You need to take care with what comes out of your mouth around us. You know vampires exist now and for many it's not an easy existence. You need to have more respect." Jasper was serious now. "These people have been wrenched out of their human lives and wound up to be creatures that are driven by forces they can't control. If this guy, this Edward Cullen has managed to father a daughter with a human woman, then that's a shaft of light in what can be a very dark world. For those of us who've had to leave behind families; that could represent hope." Jasper pointed to the door. "That is how many vampires live; oppressed and endlessly feeding appetites and desires they don't think they can control. But after a while, if you stop living like that and start working at reclaiming what you can, a balance can be struck. We are living proof that you can be both a vampire and be a member of the human race."

"Who are you, the spokesperson for the Vampire Liberation Front?"

"We don't have a name; we're just a loose association of vampires who've had enough of the Solace Foundation's activities. But if we can help these vampires to find that balance, then yes we'd want to liberate them. Although, the problem here, is the sheer number of them. Scattering over thirty vampires to the four winds would cause its own issues. But that's something for us to work out and not your problem. What we need from you is information. Are you willing to get it for us?"

"If you're willing to get mine for me?"

"I will try and find him, but it may take some time. Vampires, as you might have guessed, don't make it easy to be found."

"OK, deal. I'm in. Tell me what information you want."

"Not here. We'll go somewhere else after our hour has finished."

"So I've got to stay here with you for another forty five minutes?"

"Yes, it will arouse less suspicion. How are you at small talk?"

"Not bad, although now I have a vampire in front of me, I'd like to ask some questions, please? I want to try and understand what my Dad's been through these last eleven years."

"Sure, but I don't have experience of living in a city coven like this, or what goes on here. If it's any reassurance, this is unusual."

"What's normal for vampires?"

"It depends. Some live in groups, although not as big as this and some are nomads."

"Why do you look smart and the rest of them out there look like… well, sewer rats."

"Because I earn money."

"How?" Maddie was genuinely amazed.

"I'm a writer. I write young adult fiction."

"Really? What do you write about?"

Jasper smiled. "Vampires. I take it you've never read any of my books?"

"Who do you publish as?"

"Myself, Jasper Whitlock."

Maddie shook her head. "No, sorry. I'm not a great reader. Reading kinda had all the pleasure taken out of it when Dad…" She went to say _died_, it was an automatic reaction; but he was most likely alive – of sorts. "When Dad… became a vampire." She added hesitantly, testing out the new truth.

Jasper opened his backpack. "This isn't me trying to impress you; I brought it more as a convincer that I was a real person." He pulled out a paperback book. "It's a bit old school I know, not giving you the download, but here, take it, have a read. It's based on real vampires, which apparently gives it an '_authenticity never previously expressed in the genre_.'" He pointed to the review on the back cover. "I write vampire stories and I'm a vampire. As you people say, _'go figure.'_"

Maddie looked at the book and immediately hunted for biographical information. There was none. The only personalisation was a dedication. _'For Alice.'_

"Who's Alice?" She asked.

"My wife. That's my first book. It was only right that I dedicated it to her."

"And she's a vampire too?"

"Yes."

"Do you have kids like this Edward guy does?"

Jasper shook his head. "Alice and I were both vampires when we met. Once you're a vampire, having children by biological means isn't possible. Your body gets solidified and all your biological process; such as aging, reproduction and digestion, just stop."

"So my Dad will be exactly the same as he was in 2010 when he was changed?"

"Pretty much, but he'll feel like me."

Jasper held his hands out to Maddie and she took them, feeling again the cold, hard, smooth skin.

"Dionne told me the change is unbearable agony." Maddie said quietly, still holding Jasper's hands.

"Yes it is."

"My Dad would've been in pain for three days." She murmured.

"Yes, but he won't feel any pain now and he won't have experienced physical pain whilst he was here. This will have been mental torture, especially if he wanted to be with you. You understand why he couldn't be with you and there's every chance that he may not feel that he can be, now?"

Maddie nodded. "He would be a danger to me. But I just wanna see him again, that's all. Just want to know that he's OK." A tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto the back of Jasper's hand, followed by another and another. The tears were suddenly accompanied by heartfelt sobs. "I want to get out of here!"

"OK." Jasper got up, repacked his backpack and helped Maddie up from the chair. He grasped her securely around the waist. "Your crying is genuine, but how are your acting skills?"

"Passable." She sobbed.

"You need to act like we've had sex and it hurt, _a lot_. Can you do that?"

Maddie nodded.

"OK. Did you bring a car?"

Maddie nodded again.

"We'll make for that."

Jasper guided the limping, sobbing and wincing Maddie out of the room. Maddie concentrated on the sorrow she felt for her Dad's situation and found that she had to do no acting at all the keep the tears flowing. As they came back into the oval space, there were more vampires here now; the dim lighting couldn't obscure enough what they were doing with each other and to some humans. She noticed very quickly, that they were the ones who were crying out in pain. Jasper helped her around the edge of the oval and back to the exit. There, more human girls waited in line; bedraggled, emaciated girls whose eyes contained no spark of life in them. Drug addicts, looking for the money for their next hit, poor wretches. She looked back and saw Diego sat on his throne. The blonde haired boy was knelt between Diego's legs and it didn't take a genius to work out from the bob of his head what he was doing. Maddie tried to feel hatred for Diego but discovered that her hatred emotion didn't seem to be working. Perhaps there was too much to hate here?

Jasper guided Maddie up the stairs, out of hell and into the cool, clear October night. She had never been so thankful to see the stars; Orion the hunter was clearly visible like a celestial godfather.

They turned right and Jasper supported her as she limped down Avery. Once she got to Post Street, Maddie felt a little easier, although she was absolutely amazed that she hadn't lost her sanity. Vampires? Sex dens? Her Dad was alive? Her Dad was a vampire? Her Dad had been involved in _that_? She was walking down the street with a vampire? Thinking about any one of these questions should, she knew, make her scream. But she couldn't. Her emotions and reactions felt inert as if they were being held back. Maddie steered them both over to her bright red car.

"Not just any old X300, but an X300R Limited Edition."

"Yeah, a screw up at the dealership that worked in my favour."

"This was a screw up?"

"I wanted a black one but this came in instead."

"Red. Very visible. Very… safe." Jasper grinned.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just that I've been around a long time. I've seen Volvo come through its infancy, through it's _only Grandpa's drive these_, years and now, it's turning out _must have_ cars. The new owner is certainly making his mark."

"Yeah, well they got the advertising right; they certainly do know what I want and they're giving it to me this car. They even personalised the headrests for me as compensation for screwing up the order." Maddie pointed to the monogrammed MM behind Jasper's head.

Jasper chuckled. "They think of everything these days."

"So where to?" Maddie asked.

"Drive to the Presidio, there are some quiet streets in there."

"Don't you need to come back into the city?"

"No. Alice will meet me there."

Jasper made no move to message anybody.

"Don't you want to tell her where we're going?"

"No, she'll know where I am." He said matter-of-factly. He didn't elaborate.

Maddie drove through the streets. Few people cared to be out at this hour, an unofficial curfew existed from 9pm, which regardless of how many of the city's residents were observing it, made no dent in the crime figures. Now she knew why.

Guided by Jasper, Maddie parked up in the Presidio, in street not too far from Elba's offices. Jasper assured her that they weren't in range of anyone's security cameras here. He opened his backpack and out of it pulled another bag. He handed her back the book he'd given her.

"Just in case you want to read it." He said with a smile.

Maddie returned a hesitant smile of her own.

Jasper angled himself around to her. "What we'd like you to do is pass on anything and everything you can about this project, including the contact details of everyone your Mom knows. Is that something you think you can do?"

"Sure." Maddie replied confidently. Her Mom may be the CEO of a Technology solutions company, but her own online security was rubbish; Maddie had gotten through it years ago because her Mom rotated the same stock of totally guessable passwords.

"To make sure we have it securely, we need you to hand the data over personally. We need you to meet with one of our group and do a device to device transfer"

"Meet with another vampire?"

"No. Ben works for a vampire and he'll be your point of contact, here are his details." Jasper handed her a plain cream business card.

"Does he know?"

"Does he know, what?"

"That he works for a vampire?"

"Yes."

"And he's OK with that?"

Jasper's face exhibited a little confusion. "Yes, why wouldn't he be? We're not going to hurt him."

"Sorry, it's this new reality I'm in."

"We're just regular people; well, as regular as we can be. We want what you want. Jobs, homes and someone to love. The only difference is that we consume blood."

"But you _kill_ people." They were hardly regular in that regard.

"Vampires do kill, that's true. But we won't kill you."

"Until I've done my job, I'm no longer needed; I know too much and have the potential to expose you." Maddie was a little more defensive, suddenly realising that jumping in with both feet might not have been a wise move.

Jasper shook his head. "I don't think you will. I think that what you discovered tonight, that your own father is one of us, will mean that you'll keep the knowledge of vampires to yourself. Exposing us would likely expose your father and you wouldn't want to hurt him, would you?"

Maddie shook her head. Jasper didn't appear to be blackmailing her, his tone wasn't threatening, it was calming, soothing even.

"But you _must_ keep the secret." He stressed. "You can't tell _anybody,_ not even your best friend, or else the Volturi will be on you before you can say blood donor. And no getting drunk and blabbing, stay away from alcohol. Humans do dumb things when they're drunk. Also, associating with us will bring its own dangers from the vampire community."

Maddie suddenly felt a sense of dread.

Jasper continued. "Vampires primarily hunt by smell and each human and vampire has their own scent, which we can track. As you've spent time with me, if another vampire that I know followed you, they'd be able to identify you as having been with me. So we need you to change the beauty products that you use." Jasper handed over the bag that was in his lap. "These have been especially developed to neutralise the scent of vampires. The active ingredient is present in everything, from body wash, to soap, bubble bath, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and perfume." He pulled out a bottle of what looked like a water spritzer. "When you get home I want you to immediately spray the inside of your car with this. Then get a bath or a shower, wash your hair and clean your teeth. Change your clothes and get them into the washer as soon as you can. If Veronica Johnson comes to your house, the last thing we want her to pick up there is the scent of other vampires and especially ones unfamiliar to her. That would completely derail this operation. She mustn't know we exist and if the trap springs before we're ready for her, she'll more than likely get away. Use them all, twice a day every day, without fail. We are in the city and some of us will be passing close to you from time to time on security detail. So please; help us to help you by being squeaky clean. There are several bottles of spritzer in the bag which you should keep with you at all times and use frequently, on everything and everywhere. Do you understand?"

Maddie nodded.

"This is crucial. One misplaced scent and the San Francisco coven will shut like a clam. OK? Once you have some information to pass on, call Ben and arrange a transfer. Do it at regular intervals. He'll be expecting your call. Got it?"

Maddie nodded.

"There are a couple of further things I need to say. There is a logged arrangement now between you and me at this den, for which I have paid for exclusivity on you for twenty eight days. That means that no other vampire can solicit you for sex in that time. To maintain our cover, or to get further information about that place, it might be necessary for me to arrange to meet you back there. I promise that I will take care of you and _nothing _will take place between us. OK?"

Maddie nodded somewhat reluctantly, not relishing the prospect of ever passing through Diego's doors again. Perhaps she'd tell him she was busy. Exclusivity for twenty eight days? When it expired what would happen then? Maddie was just going to ask but Jasper continued.

"The other thing I should mention is that, when you see Veronica and compare her to other vampires in daylight, she will look very different. Vampires would normally appear very pale-skinned and she does not. The Solace Foundation have developed a coating that covers our skin, giving it a more normal colour and gives us the ability to go out in direct sun."

"Do you burn up in sunlight?"

Jasper grinned. "No, vampire skin just stands out in the sun, that's all I'll say. They have devised a product to cover it and if you get the chance to get your hands on some, we'd be very grateful. We don't need a lot, just enough to be able to determine what's in it. But that's a bonus; we don't need it and certainly don't put yourself at risk to get it. Concentrate on the data, OK? That's what's important."

Maddie nodded.

Jasper put his hand on the door catch.

"There is one final thing before I leave and that is explaining how you feel. No doubt you've noticed how surprisingly calm you are?"

"Yes."

"It's me, I'm doing it. It's a special ability that I have. When I leave, all those feelings are going to rush back in. You will feel scared and shocked and every other emotion that I've been keeping at bay whilst we've been together. So here's what we're going to do."

Just then a large SUV pulled up behind them. Maddie stared at the headlights in her rear view mirror.

"Don't worry, that's just Alice coming to collect me. Now obviously, you don't want to feel shocked and scared while you're driving, so we'll tail you home. We already know where you live, so this isn't information you're giving us."

Maddie looked at him, she expected to feel shocked that vampires knew where she lived, but once again the feeling stayed right on the sidelines.

"We'll make sure you're safely in the garage before we leave. And don't forget to wash, a _lot!_" Jasper smiled at her. "In return, I promise that I'll do my best to find Edward Cullen. Both Alice and I have been around a while and we have lots of contacts. One of them may have heard of him. I'll say goodbye for now, it's been a pleasure to meet you."

"And you."

"You take care. The hint of _anything_ suspicious and you call me." Jasper gave her a card with his number handwritten in beautiful calligraphy. "Program it in and set a speed dial. I'll always pick up straight away, unless I'm hunting."

"Hunting?"

Jasper said nothing in response to her question, merely raising his eyebrows at her in return. She knew what hunting meant. It was a euphemism for murder.

"Oh, yes, of course." Her smile was weak.

"I'm a vampire Miss Mitchell. I don't buy groceries at Safeway. Anyway, until the next time." Jasper gave her an old-fashioned nod of the head as he took his leave. He got out of the car and walked over to the SUV and got in. Maddie started the engine of her car and pulled away; still emotionless and still under the influence of whatever it was that Jasper could do.

Her house wasn't too far away and within a couple of minutes she was pulling onto the drive and the garage door was rolling up in response to her arrival. The SUV waited a few houses back until they saw her car pull safely into the garage. As the door came down, Alice and Jasper pulled away.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Lazy Saturday**

It was Saturday afternoon and Maddie had still not recovered from the shock that was Friday night. As Jasper and Alice had pulled away, Maddie, still sat in the driver's seat, had felt the tsunami of terror finally break over her. It was over fifteen minutes before she could even move to get out of the car. A sense of reason had returned and while still downstairs, she had stripped to her underwear in the laundry room and set her clothes to wash. She spritzed everything in sight and dashed upstairs before Margaret could catch her. She scooted straight into the bathroom, setting a bath to run and pulling out the new beauty products. All of them were in plain white packaging, with simple black lettering on the front to identify what they were. There were no other identifying features; no list of what they contained, no manufacturing information, no warnings, nothing. The spritzer had smelled inoffensive enough so she took a sniff of all the others. They all smelled the same, of a pleasant light floral smell that she couldn't identify but was glad it wasn't freesias. She hated freesias, they made her sneeze.

Sleep had been understandably in short supply and she'd spent most of the early hours staring over at Jory and Kate's house, imagining her Dad crouched on the roof of it. If she'd only have thought to go to the window once in a while, she might've seen him years ago!

The house across the street was in darkness, the Chambers' family were away for the weekend. They'd gone to Lassen National Park, several hours drive north of San Francisco. They'd only been here a week and already Maddie was longing for their company and for the happy, relaxed family home. Although she couldn't share what was happening in her life, just being around them was soothing. It would be a long weekend without the painkilling hugs of Jory, the bouncy happiness of Kate and the gentle, motherly smiles of Stephanie. Instead, she had the bag of neuroses that was her own mother, who now stood across the kitchen counter from where Maddie was finishing up a late lunch. Helen was on the phone to Stuart at the Mark Hopkins and she was after a favour once again.

"Sunday October thirty-first and at our previously agreed rate?" Helen had the smile of a woman who knew she could get what she wanted. There was a pause and the smile widened. "Oh _thank you_ Stuart." She said, her voice dripping with fake gratitude. "I wouldn't have been happy with any other venue." Maddie knew for a fact that that was an outright lie. She'd have played Stuart off against Belinda at the Mandarin Oriental if Stuart hadn't come through. Stuart was only her first choice because she'd beaten the poor guy into submission years ago. "Madison? Oh she's fine. Yes, she had a lovely party, thank you for making it such a special night for her." Her Mom hadn't called to say thank you? Maddie was suddenly appalled. Stuart's team had bust a gut getting the ballroom ready in time. The restoration work after the earthquake was taking its time, but they'd made sure the ballroom had been ready for that night. And now she was hiring it again, but for what?

Helen finished her call and hung up.

"What's the booking for?" Maddie asked.

Helen's face lit up like the Eiffel Tower at New Year. "The Solace Foundation Charity Fundraising Gala!" she trilled.

"On _Halloween?_" Maddie pulled a face, not adding the 'how appropriate,' comment that she did in her head.

"Yes. Veronica doesn't like Halloween and she'd like to put the evening to better use. I happen to agree with her. It's become a pointless thing, going door to door for candy."

Maddie mused why Veronica Johnson wouldn't like Halloween, when it was essentially home delivery for vampires.

"I doubt the city will sanction traditional Halloween activities with crime rates at these levels," Helen continued. "So this is something nice to take its place."

"Mom, you need a seven figure bank balance just to get in the door. This isn't open to the kids in the city. Are you making it a themed event?"

Helen wrinkled her nose in distaste at the suggestion and shook her head.

"No, just glamorous."

"Do I have to come?" Maddie asked.

"No. But I would appreciate your support on this. It's very important to me."

Maddie played Devil's advocate. "I'm not really into Halloween parties but you should totally do a themed night. Suggest that everybody comes as a vampire." Maddie couldn't help but chuckle at the notion of Veronica the vampire going to a party _dressed as a vampire_.

"I think not." Her Mom snapped. Veronica isn't into fancy dress. If there's to be a theme I think we'll go with white tie and diamonds?"

Maddie nodded and tried to smile encouragingly. She wasn't all that interested in what anybody was going to wear, more that there would be a vampire sitting in their midst. How would she get around not eating?

Maddie had spent the early hours of the morning finding out everything she could about Jasper Whitlock. She had evidently been walking around with blinkers on, because there should be no way she could have missed this guy, his book sales were phenomenal. He'd sold over ten million copies of his six books to date and he had a seventh out later this month. He'd given her a copy of his first book and a wry smile played on her face, as she'd trawled fan forums and noted the comments. His fans loved him, but they got irritated because Jasper was elusive, insanely elusive. He never made personal appearances, preferring instead for his writing to do the talking. He wasn't into being a celebrity, he never attended award shows and there were only two available photos of him. He rarely gave interviews (only ever on the phone), and proffered only the sketchiest of personal information about himself. Maddie now knew that was all done with good reason, the reality would not be something people wanted to hear.

Her Mom wandered out of the kitchen and Maddie was left alone again with her thoughts. Her Dad was out there somewhere, she knew it and she could _feel_ it. This feeling had happened only once before, when she was ten and her life had hung in the balance as she lay delirious in the grip of bacterial meningitis. She'd surfaced occasionally in those dark days and had been convinced that her Dad was sitting at her bedside, watching over her and occasionally whispering encouragement to get better. When she'd talked later about that, her Mom had given her the brush off. But Margaret hadn't. Margaret listened and said in all honesty that she thought it was because Maddie had been so sick, that perhaps it was an Angel who had appeared in the form of her Dad, so as not to scare her.

Maddie didn't believe in Angels. Her more rational teenage brain had put these imaginings down to the hallucinations of a very sick girl and she'd thought no more of it. But she couldn't deny the _feeling_; the feeling you had when someone was actually sitting right by you. It was a solid presence that had defied explanation. And here it was again, parading about in her head holding up a giant 'I told you so' placard. Perhaps he had been there? He'd sat on her balcony trying to get close to her, so perhaps he'd gotten word of how sick she'd been and had somehow managed to sneak in and see her? If she ever found him she would ask.

The stuff with Diego and what was going on there was not something she wanted to think about, so she concentrated on the task she'd been given; to pass on what she could about the plans for the Solace Center. It was a straightforward enough assignment, but now she worried about what exactly the vampires were going to do with this information. What would the repercussions be if her Mom realised who it was that had been shipping Solace's secrets to an enemy camp? More to the point, what would Veronica do if her Mom told her that Maddie was the source of the leak?

"I'd be dead." Maddie whispered to herself.

She didn't have long to wait until Veronica appeared. She'd been a fixed presence in this house for so long that Maddie had almost zoned her out as just another one of her Mom's annoying friends. But now that she knew what Veronica was, Maddie had to work hard not to stare.

Statuesque was the word. Veronica was naturally tall, possibly pushing six feet in flats. She was invariably taller, because like today, she usually wore heels. Margaret opened the front door and as Veronica came into the hallway, Maddie sat in the kitchen almost frozen to the stool. The kitchen door was partially closed, but Maddie could see through the gap between the door and the frame. Maddie watched as Margaret went off to announce to Helen that her friend had arrived. Veronica inspected herself in the full length hall mirror, adjusting her clothing. She fished in her purse and from it took a little jewelled canister, an atomiser of perfume, perhaps? Instead of spraying it on her neck, Veronica examined her face and sprayed it along her right jaw line. Bingo! That must be the coating stuff they wanted. It was in the jewel-encrusted atomiser-thing. Only her brain was working, the rest of Maddie's body was frozen and not even her eyelids would reliably blink.

Her Mom arrived and gave Veronica an air-kissed welcome, after which the two women disappeared off into Helen's study. Maddie let out a long breath as she heard the door click closed. Her heart was pounding in her chest and Maddie speculated that if you were trying not to draw attention to yourself, having your heart going like a train might be the vampire equivalent of standing up and waving 'I'm here.' She took a few deep breaths before going back upstairs to put as much distance as she could between Veronica and herself.

Maddie lay on her bed and gazed at the photo of her and her Dad. Her head started to invent scenarios of what it would be like to meet him, what she would say and what he might say. Could Maddie remember the sound of his voice? No. His parents had some video footage of him taken when he was a kid but his voice would be deeper now. Maddie drifted and dozed. At some point later in the afternoon, her Mom wandered into her room.

"Veronica's invited us over for dinner tonight. I've said yes."

Maddie's attendance was not optional, she understood the tone.

"_Dinner?"_ That could mean two things with Veronica.

"Yes, you know, that thing where we sit around the table, eat a meal and talk? Something we don't do a lot of here."

"Mom you're never in for me to sit and talk to."

Helen's countenance darkened. She hadn't liked her failing as a Mom so graphically highlighted. "I'm busy," she snapped. "I have a lot of business-related dinners to attend."

"I know." Maddie reassured her. "So, dinner? At Veronica's place? That'll be… nice."

"Yes, it will." Helen beamed.

Maddie hit on a snag. What if Diego was there and realised that she'd lied about who she was. "Who else will be there?"

"Just the four of us."

"The _four?_" Her heart was in her mouth.

"You, me, Veronica and her boyfriend Steven."

"Oh." _'good'_ Maddie added in her head. "You're not taking Roger?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Her mom shrugged. It was over then, at least as far as her Mom was concerned. Roger however, might not know.

"You broke up?"

Her Mom nodded and gave a weak smile.

Maddie was relieved. No more of the repulsive Roger. "OK then, I'll be ready."

"Good. We'll leave at seven. Wear a dress."

"I'd rather not."

"I'd rather you did."

"Black pants and a shirt are more than smart enough for a casual dinner."

Helen pulled a face. "But that's not Veronica's style. She likes glamour and hey, what the heck, it's fun to dress up!"

"Are you going in a ball gown?"

"I might. You could wear the one you wore for your birthday, it's back from the cleaners."

Maddie knew it was back, she'd seen the long white bag hanging in her closet earlier.

"I really wouldn't feel comfortable. Please can I wear pants?" '_And preferably shoes I can run in._' Maddie didn't add.

"Pants, short hair? Next you'll be telling me you're gay."

"Mom that is… so…." Maddie searched for the word. "_Stereotypical!_ I cut my hair because I want it short, I wear pants because I like pants and I wear Docs because they're comfortable. What I wear has absolutely zero bearing on my sexuality, which is frankly none of your business."

"Someone's a little touchy." Helen stared at her daughter as if willing gayness out of her.

"I'm not touchy about my sexuality; I'm stunned by your stupid comment. Mom you're an intelligent woman, why do you come out with such crap?"

"Why do you treat me with such disdain?"

"Because you make dumb-ass comments like _that!_" Maddie volleyed. She was irritated by her Mom for a whole heap of reasons, but there were only so many fires you could fight.

"OK, so you're not gay."

"It's too early to tell." This was deliberate baiting on Maddie's part.

"What? You mean you could be?" There was a spark of interest there. Maddie picked up the hint. Having a gay daughter would be so much more interesting than having a regular one.

"I don't know." Maddie replied, deliberately stringing it out. "As I said, it's too early to tell."

"Of course. But I can't encourage you to wear a dress? Veronica has fabulously traditional French décor, you'll look out of place."

"I have to dress to match the décor? Oh _please!"_

"No, but we thought It'd be fun." Helen gave a girlish giggle. "A girls' night in."

"But this Steven will be there."

Oh he's very metrosexual."

Maddie wanted to vomit. "Mom, nobody uses that word anymore. It's just pretentious crap."

"Why are you so confrontational all the time? You never used to be like this?"

Maddie pointed out the window. "Mom, San Francisco is still in pieces after the earthquake, crime in the city is through the roof, gas is being rationed and the economy's tanking again. There's not a whole lot out there for me to feel like wearing a dress for. Boots and combats seem to be more appropriate. Life is hard Mom and unlike you, I see that."

"To me it's all the more appropriate to wear a pretty dress to cheer the place up."

"You do then, but it's not me." A comment came to mind then that Maddie wondered for a moment whether she should say out loud. But she did anyway. "Mom you've changed so much since you started to hang out with Veronica. I don't always see that as a good thing."

Helen visibly bristled and her hands went to her hips. "I've worked damned hard every day since I was eighteen. I'm fifty six now and if I can't have a little fun with a girlfriend, then what's life for, huh? Elba's doing well; it doesn't need me there all the time."

"Yeah but it still needs some direction, you're never there. It's all party, party, party, now."

"Are you begrudging me a little fun?"

"No. I'm just worried that… Veronica's a bad influence on you."

Helen threw back her head and laughed. "Bad influence? Veronica? Oh don't make me laugh."

'_Oh Mom if only you knew.'_ Maddie said in her head.

"Seven o'clock, right?" Her Mom said, instantly getting back to the arrangement.

"Seven o'clock. Got it."

"I'll see you later. And please find a smile to wear."

Helen left the room and Maddie returned to gazing at the picture of her Dad. So she was going to be venturing into the lion's den? She'd take no chances and headed once again for the shower.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: In the Court of the Crimson Queen**

Veronica Johnson's house looked as if she'd handed her gardener and builder a photo of the French Palace of Versailles and told them to make the house look exactly like it. Maddie had been to Versailles four years ago and had been suitably wowed, but not enough to ever want a house that ostentatious and out of keeping with every other house in the neighbourhood. The fact that it was at an intersection made it stick out even more. It shouted 'look at me' which possibly wasn't the message you wanted to give if you were a vampire trying to hide.

Maddie and Helen made their way up to the front door and Maddie's heart was again thumping wildly. She couldn't help it, the knowledge of what Veronica was, was truly terrifying. At every moment on the drive over, Maddie had been on the verge of asking her Mom if they could ditch and simply go to McDonalds. They had arrived in the ridiculously large gas-guzzling Mercedes, chauffeured by Paul, their regular driver. In these fuel-restricted times, it screamed profligacy, but Helen didn't care. They could've easily taken Maddie's fuel-cell-powered Volvo, which was about as environmentally friendly as cars got and had the benefit of Maddie being able to get the hell away, should Veronica Johnson look like unleashing her teeth. But her Mom had opted to use the Mercedes; mostly, Maddie surmised, because she didn't want to get her dress creased.

Helen was indeed wearing a ball gown. It was by one of the young designers that Helen favoured and the design was as cutting edge as it was possible to get. It was a stunning dress in the season's signature colour - electric green - and epitomised everything that Helen Mitchell was about. Her Mom did look fabulous, but so would anyone who'd had that much work done.

Maddie's one concession to glamour was swapping her black waxed Doc Martens for patent leather ones. Her black pants, peacock blue shirt, short dark hair and minimal make-up made her look rather like Helen's son, not her daughter. But Maddie had dressed for speed and comfort, choosing shoes that she could run like hell in.

Before they'd left this evening, Maddie had solicited some advice from Jasper. Through a series of messages he'd told her that it was vital she kept her heart rate as calm as possible. Maddie had been right; a thumping heartbeat was indeed the _bat signal_ to a vampire. It was perfectly normal for her to be a little anxious in an unfamiliar environment, but Jasper told her that she must calm herself within a couple of minutes or else the vampires in the house would grow suspicious. Maddie had questioned Jasper's use of the plural and Jasper had replied that, as far as they knew, this place was home to five vampires. So Steven, Veronica's boyfriend, might well be another vampire.

As Maddie and her mother approached the door, it was pulled open by a smartly-dressed man, who Maddie could see was clearly human. He was deeply tanned, had sparkling blue eyes and Maddie instantly felt more relaxed. He asked them to wait for a moment in the entrance hall while he went into a room off to their right. It wasn't just the gardener and the builder who'd been given the instruction to make the place look like Versailles, so had the interior decorator. The lobby was decked out in wood panelling and had an elaborate plaster ceiling. Some bits of it were missing, most likely shaken loose by the earthquake. From it an enormous chandelier hung down to only a few feet above their heads. Maddie got the impression they'd been left here to be impressed by the place and her Mom was suitably so.

"Impressive huh?" Helen whispered.

"Yes, I love the chandelier." Maddie replied. She did, it was the best thing in here. Maddie didn't whisper, it was pointless. She knew from Jasper that whispering really wasn't going to keep things from vampire ears. They could hear, see and smell well beyond the range of any human. Maddie was hoping this vampire-scent-dampening anti-perspirant was doing its job, not only at dampening down vampire scent but also at dampening down her own. She was a little warm.

A door opened behind them and the Butler showed them into what Maddie supposed was the drawing room because it looked far too formal to be considered a living room. Maddie trailed in behind her Mom and as she caught sight of Veronica, she couldn't help staring at the woman in red.

Veronica looked absolutely stunning and Maddie had to force her mouth closed when she realised that it'd dropped open in shock. There were no two ways about it, the vampire was mesmerising. The crimson velvet dress emphasised her voluptuous figure and only the tops of her arms showed above the matching long gloves she wore. Her black hair cascaded loose over her shoulders in a glossy ebony waterfall. Her skin glowed from whatever she was coated in and her eyes were almost black. Another concealment Jasper had told her about; Veronica would be wearing contact lenses. Beside her stood another man or vampire, Maddie couldn't tell; but he was tall, dark, handsome and very young. Veronica must be around forty; Steven, perhaps twenty five or so. No wonder Veronica and her Mom had been such fast friends – they shared more than a large bank balance in common.

"Helen, Madison, how _wonderful_ that you could join us this evening." Veronica sashayed forward and took Helen's hands, leaning forward to air kiss her friend on both cheeks. Veronica turned to Maddie and held her hands in turn, the crimson velvet gloves masking the difference of touch that Maddie knew there'd be. Veronica made a wide sweeping gesture back to Steven. "And this is my darling Steven. Steven, this is Helen and Madison Mitchell."

Steven gave a nod of his head. "Pleased to meet you." He said, but he didn't step forward to shake their hands. Maddie noticed that he looked distinctly uncomfortable and was blinking a lot. Vampire, he had to be a vampire; his discomfort looked more than social shyness.

"I thought we'd have a drink before dinner. Henderson, would you be so kind."

The Butler walked over to a cabinet on the far side of the room. In it were a selection of familiar bottles.

"Helen, I'm assuming that you'd like a gin and tonic?" Veronica smiled.

Helen giggled. "You know me too well, Vee!"

"Two of those, please Henderson. And Maddie, what would you like?"

Maddie looked to her Mom. Right now a very large gin and tonic sounded perfect, but she really needed to keep her wits about her.

"I'll just have a soda. Coke if you have it."

"I'm sure we do." Veronica replied. "Henderson?"

"Of course Ma'am." Henderson replied.

"Steven, darling. Would you like a gin and tonic too?" Veronica asked.

"Yes." He replied as if delivering a line. Suddenly Maddie's fear vanished as she realised that this was a vampire who really didn't know what to do with himself. She smiled with amusement. Perhaps tonight would be fun after all.

As Veronica, Helen and Steven stood around chatting, Maddie took the opportunity to stroll around the room. The furniture had been purchased to be in keeping with the French theme and the room was unusual. There was no screen in here and no visible signs of audio or gaming entertainment. Perhaps there was another room for that elsewhere in the house? Maddie sipped her Coke and walked over to the clock on the wall. It wasn't dissimilar to the clock under which she'd met Anthony Masen at the Mark Hopkins. She let her mind wander back to those few minutes she'd spent in his company and in particular, the dance. He'd held her so confidently, so securely and she'd felt almost protected from the rest of the crowd. She yearned for a little of that protection now as reality hit and shiver went down her spine.

"Are you cold, Madison?" Asked Veronica.

Maddie turned around to Veronica. "A little." She lied.

"Henderson."

"I'll see to it." He said and exited the room.

Maddie was warm enough, but the fact that her small movement had been detected by the vampire pushed her heart rate back up. She noticed Steven staring at her with what looked like alarm. Maddie thought as many calming thoughts as she could and fervently wished that Jasper would drive by right now and do whatever he did to make her feel calm.

Before long, the four of them were invited to take their seats in the dining room on the opposite side of the hall. As she passed, Maddie looked up the sweeping staircase. All the house appeared to be done out in the same style. It wasn't to her taste, but it was beautifully done, she couldn't deny that.

In the dining room, Veronica sat at the head of the table and Steven at the foot. Helen sat on Veronica's right and Maddie opposite her Mom. Immediately Henderson placed the appetiser in front of them and Maddie had to work hard not to snort with laughter. The dish was seared scallops with truffle beurre blanc. She knew this, because when she and Angel had felt suitably inspired watching _Julie and Julia_, the old Meryl Streep movie based on the life of Julia Child; they had pulled out Angel's Mom's battered copy of _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_ and cooked this very thing. French décor and French food, what else was French?

"Bon appétit!" Called Veronica and Maddie almost poked herself in the eye shielding her face so that the vampire wouldn't know she was laughing.

"Is something wrong Madison?" Asked her Mom, with a glare that indicated that she was at DEFCON 2.

"No, just an eyelash in my eye." Maddie replied pulling the imaginary lash away from her eye and flicking it to the floor. "I adore scallops." She beamed at Veronica; she should at least try to be pleasant.

This seemed to come as a shock. "Do you?" Veronica queried. "Oh I'm so glad. I haven't had them in… quite some time."

No, indeed. Maddie was most interested to see how both Veronica and Steven would deal with eating human food. Maddie and her Mom started eating as normal but as she ate, Maddie flicked glances first to Veronica and then to Steven. Maddie bit hard on her lip as both of them gave the not so subtle impression that chewing was alien to them. Steven especially, looked like a man who might hurl. Maddie tucked into the remaining scallops with relish; the vampires were in the human realm now and it wasn't Maddie and her Mom who had to blend in. Maddie was offered wine, a white French Burgundy and didn't refuse. It was delicious but she must not drop her guard so she sipped it, all the time keeping an eye on Steven's discomfort. The entrée was another suitably French-looking dish of chicken; probably from the same book. Either way it was exceptional. While Veronica and Helen talked business, and slightly emboldened by the wine, Maddie took pity on the scared-looking vampire on her left.

"So what do you do?" Maddie asked Steven. It was a perfectly human question to ask.

He swallowed his mouthful with difficulty, as if his throat hurt. "I…ah…Not much really. You?"

"Just school."

"I don't really remember much about school."

Maddie instantly thought that was odd. On the face of it, it could hardly have been more than ten years ago. But maybe Steven was as old as Jasper?

"Was it so bad, that you blanked it out?" Maddie grinned, trying to keep it light.

Steven gave her an uneasy smile in return. "No. Lots of things have happened since then. You can't remember everything."

Maddie wondered how old he really was. "But it can't be that long ago?" She pressed. "You can't be much over, what; twenty five?"

The corner of Steven's mouth turned up slightly, giving the hint of a wry smile. "No." He replied. He gave nothing further in return.

Maddie suddenly burned with curiosity, wanting to know how long he'd been twenty five and wanting to know what life was like as part of this, what had Jasper called them? A coven?

Prior to the night she met Dionne, Maddie hadn't given vampires another thought and she hadn't been interested in them. Now that she knew her Dad was one, it was all she wanted to do; to sit down with one and ask endless questions about what it was like to be a vampire. It was in the hope that she would find her Dad one day and by then, she would understand a little of what he'd been through and what his life might be like. Maddie wondered if Steven had known her Dad, like Dionne had. That question burned brighter than the sun within her, but it must not come out. He wasn't here anymore for one thing and Steven might have come into this coven after he'd left. Giving the slightest hint that she knew what Steven and Veronica were would place her in the gravest of danger – especially if they were looking for him and knew that Maddie was too.

Steven seemed reluctant to talk after that and a series of anodyne questions from Maddie yielded barely one word answers. Eventually, Maddie gave up on him, focussed on her meal and tuned in to her Mom and Veronica's conversation.

Monday would see the opening of the bidding period for companies to submit their tenders to work on the Center. From then on, Maddie needed to be regularly shipping information to Ben Taylor and she hoped like crazy that her Mom hadn't acted out of character and put a decent level of security on her computer for once - she was screwed if she had.

Maddie finished eating first and realised that she needed the bathroom. She asked for directions.

"Use the one on the second floor." Veronica said smoothly. "Third door on the right."

Maddie left the dining room and walked out into the hall. There would not be an opportunity to scout out the rest of the first floor, Veronica and Steven would hear that she hadn't gone straight upstairs. Maddie acted as if she had no concerns about this house at all and walked confidently up the flight of stairs. On the landing, she was stunned to find a note stuck to a door right in front of her.

"Be calm, walk to the bathroom, I will meet you there. Bring this note with you." It was signed Dionne.

Maddie did as she was asked and pushed open the third door on the right. It opened onto a truly enormous bathroom and, sat on the edge of the bathtub was Dionne. The vampire briefly held a finger to her lips and then tapped the notepad on her lap. Maddie understood that she was to remain silent.

Dionne wrote something on the paper and turned it to Maddie.

'I'm sorry about the other night. That wasn't supposed to happen. Were you OK?'

Maddie took the paper and replied. 'Sore'. She wrote. She had to keep up the charade.

Dionne took the pad back. 'Have you managed to trace Edward Cullen?' She wrote.

Maddie shook her head. "Not yet" she mouthed. Maddie wanted to ask a question, she took the paper from Dionne. "Did V and S know my Dad?"

Dionne nodded and took the pad from Maddie. 'When he wasn't with Diego he was in this house.' She wrote.

The shock of the message elevated Maddie's heartbeat. This is where her Dad had been. "He lived here?" She mouthed. Perhaps she could see his room. But Dionne shook her head and took the pad from her to write another message.

'We have no homes.' She wrote. 'Most of us shelter in the city where we can. I live here now because V needs me on hand.'

"Why?" Maddie mouthed. Dionne pointed to the counter where a selection of make up was laid out and there, right at the back were four identical atomisers to the one that she'd seen Veronica use yesterday.

'I'm her stylist,' wrote Dionne. 'Trying to get her out of the ball gowns isn't easy.' She continued, looked up at Maddie and grinned. The smile was genuine, reaching to scarlet eyes that made Maddie's stomach lurch. Dionne wrote more. 'I'm glad you're OK, I've been so worried about you. You're my only hope of getting to Edward Cullen.'

'I'll try.' Maddie wrote back, hoping like mad that Jasper would come through for her. Her own searches for Edward Cullen had yielded a solitary mention at a High School in the outer reaches of Washington State, from around fifteen years ago and Maddie was pretty sure vampires didn't go to school.

Dionne took the pad back from Maddie. 'You need to go now.' She wrote.

Maddie pointed at the toilet.

Dionne gave a smile and left the room. Maddie locked it behind her and as she walked back over to the toilet, reached out and swiped one of the jewelled atomisers as she passed.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Operation Dark Star**

Maddie shrugged off Jory's invitation to come and hang out at his house after school and sat down at her Mom's computer, ready to begin the industrial espionage she had code-named 'Dark Star'. Handing over information about the Solace Foundation in return for information about her Dad, was, in Maddie's eyes a fair exchange. They got what they wanted, she got what she wanted and San Francisco was protected from a facility that intended to harvest human bodies. There really wasn't a negative aspect to it.

Unless you counted what the city vampires and the Volturi would do to her if they discovered what she was doing. Maddie didn't want to think about that.

Lady luck was smiling on her this Monday afternoon as Maddie easily got through her Mom's password gate – virtually unchanged in over ten years – and picked her way through the files until she found the ones she wanted. She sent them to her personal storage device, also making a copy of the address book and rifling through her Mom's messages, forwarding the ones of interest to a new email account. Maddie was careful to delete the sent folder as she went. She amused herself by thinking of her growing ability to pilfer things. That wouldn't look great on a school report, but it might be a life skill that would come in useful.

Her first haul yielded a lot and now she had to get in touch with Ben Taylor and make the transfer. Maddie went back up to her room, stepping over the suspiciously bald patch on her cream bedroom carpet, where she'd test sprayed the little jewelled canister on Saturday night. The brown liquid had coalesced in the air and then fallen to the ground where it had welded itself to the carpet. Nothing would shift it. The only way to get it out was for Maddie to snip the strands out with nail scissors. That was easier said than done. While the scissors cut through the carpet pile, they didn't easily snip through whatever this brown coating was. It felt like trying to cut through rock. Maddie got as much as she could out, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Margaret questioned her about it. There was only one thing for it and that was to make it look like she'd spilt nail polish.

But carpets were less important than completing her first ever spy mission and she selected Ben Taylor's number on her phone with a note of trepidation. He wasn't stored under Ben Taylor, Maddie had called him Brent Taylor-Burns; the name of a guy in her grade who had fled the city with his parents when the earthquake struck. Her Mom knew the Taylor-Burns family and wouldn't think the number to be anything remotely suspicious if she ever went looking.

Ben's phone range three times before he answered.

"Hello?" His greeting was a little curt.

"Hi." She replied hesitantly. "I'm… Maddie Mitchell." She hoped he knew who she was.

"Oh hi. You have something for me?" His greeting may have been curt, but his next sentence was delivered in the normal relaxed informality she found amongst the guys in her grade.

"Yeah." Maddie replied.

"OK, we need to meet somewhere quiet. You know Sutro baths?"

"Sure."

"Can you make tonight?"

Maddie glanced at her clock. "Yes. Would seven thirty be OK?" That would give her time to be clear of dinner.

"Perfect. Meet me in the parking lot off Point Lobos Avenue. I have a blue BMW."

"OK, see you there."

Maddie ended the call. She looked out of her window and out to the Chambers' house across the street. They were back from their weekend away in Lassen and on their walk back from school, Kate had been full of their hiking trip; especially how many mountain lions they'd seen.

"Four!" She exclaimed. "One for each of us!" It was as if someone had stuck the naturally bouncy girl on even bigger springs. Even her laid back brother took a swipe at her, batting her across the arm and telling her to cool it. Maddie had smiled. Kate was a natural dose of happiness. Across the street Kate still hadn't stopped jumping. The door to the spare room that Maddie had slept in that afternoon was open and she could see through it, to Kate bouncing about in the hallway outside her room. She threw her arms around her Dad, or a person that Maddie assumed was Peter Chambers; she couldn't be certain because the base of the blind obscured his head. Kate was hugging him enthusiastically. Maddie zoned out a little and imagined how things might be if she could someday be in a position to hug her Dad. She tried to imagine what it would be like to hug someone who felt as cold and hard as Jasper did? Much the same as embracing a statue Maddie surmised. She twirled the little personal storage device in her fingers and hoped seven thirty would hurry up.

Maddie pulled into the parking lot. It was mostly empty, save for an ancient white Ford Taurus in the far corner and closer to, a blue BMW. Maddie pulled to a stop beside the blue car and got out at the same time as tall, slim, blond-haired guy got out of the BMW. Maddie's heart leapt into her mouth. Just for a moment she thought it was her Dad, but when the guy turned to face her it wasn't him. It was just the blond hair that reminded her of the person she was longing for. The guy must have been sure of who she was, because he wasted no time in walking around the car and towards her with his hand extended. Her heart was hammering frantically in her chest.

"Hi. I'm Ben Taylor." He said. "Nice to meet you."

His handshake was warm, firm and reassuringly human. Ben himself was handsome with the slight suggestion of shabbiness about him that was in marked contrast to the shiny car he'd gotten out of. She relaxed and chuckled at his presumption that he knew who she was. She folded her arms and fixed him with a look.

"Do you introduce yourself to everybody like that? You have absolutely no idea who I am, I could be literally anybody."

"But you're not." He returned her look with one that was every bit a match for her stare and rooted her to the spot. "You're Maddie Mitchell, born Madison Mary Mitchell on September 30th 2004, to Elena Harkowska and Daniel Mitchell. You're five feet seven inch…"

"You know my Mom's former name?" Maddie cut him off, suddenly blinking against his intense gaze. Hearing that name had been a shock. Her Mom hadn't been Elena for years, since even before Maddie was born. She knew her Mom had taken her Dad's last name when they got married, but to hear her referred to as Elena was plain weird. Her Mom had cut her ties with her own family as soon as she could.

"We've done our research on you."

Maddie was suddenly a little pissed off. Yet again she was on the back foot with these people.

"And what am I supposed to know about you guys?" She snapped. "Other than…" She tailed off, aware that she was about to out the group as non-humans and that might not be a wise move, even in a deserted parking lot. Ben Taylor may not be a vampire but he knew one.

"Hey hey, don't get your knickers in a twist."

"My _what?_"

"Knickers. Sorry, it's my Mum's expression, she's British."

"Your _Mum_?" Maddie repeated.

"Yeah, she goes ape if I call her _Mom_." Ben rolled his eyes and then snickered. He looked at her again. "Sorry, I'm not doing this very well. I know you're angry because we know more about you than you know about us, but trust me; it's because we want to get this stuff _and_ protect you in the process."

"Protect me?"

"Yes. Have you any idea of what Veronica and Diego are capable of?"

Maddie shook her head.

"Well we do and we want to make sure that you don't end up like the others who discover what they are."

"My Dad was one of their victims."

"I'm sorry. Was he killed?"

Maddie shook her head. "He's a…"

"I get it. Is he in that…group? I could ask Jane, she could probably get him out."

Maddie shook her head. "No. He's… not there." That was all Maddie could say right now. "Who's Jane?" She asked.

"The um…" Ben checked around for people. "Vampire that I work for."

"Oh." Jane. A very nondescript name. Not a very vampire-ish name at all.

"She's putting this all together." He continued. "She used to work for the Solace Foundation. She pretty much set up the first center in Italy, so she knows how they work and what we need to do to pull them apart."

"How come she's on your side now?"

Ben smiled. "She fell in love. With my Uncle."

"With a _human?_" Maddie said in a low voice. "She's a vampire and she lives with a human?"

"Not now. He's a vampire too."

"What about your family? What do they think about it?"

"They don't care, it was his choice."

Maddie thought she might be glimpsing the beginning of vampire and human integration. So vampires could be around humans without wanting to kill them? May be there was some hope that she would be able to be around her Dad after all.

"And you have no problem working for her?" She asked.

"No, she's a great strategist. Jane has a great team around her and she knows what she wants from all this. But we need to do our part; we gather what she needs, she puts it all together and gets it to implode on itself. So you need to give me your part." He held out his hand and Maddie handed over the storage device. Ben pulled out his own Sirius, opened it up and connected the device to it. "Direct transfer. We don't want to risk anyone bluetoothing this stuff out of here."

It was done in seconds and Ben handed the stick back to Maddie. "Thanks. Give me a call when you have some more." He turned to go and walked back to his own vehicle. He glanced back at Maddie as he opened his door and couldn't fail to notice the slight questioning look on her face. "What?" He asked.

"Was that it?" The brevity of it all had shocked her.

"Yes, why? Were you expecting something more?"

"Uh… no, but…" Maddie suddenly didn't know how to phrase what she wanted to say.

Ben waited for her to speak, but she didn't. "What?" He asked again and shut the car door.

"Can I… talk to you about all this?" She ran her hand through her hair.

Ben smirked.

_"What?" _She snapped, glowering. She was stressed and running her hand through her hair was an automatic reaction. Her Grandpa Peter did it.

Ben smiled. "Nothing. A friend of mine does exactly the same thing when he's anxious." Ben walked back around the car to her. "OK, but here's the deal. I'll tell you what I can, but I can't answer everything. I'm not a vampire."

Maddie nodded in agreement at this.

"I think there are some seats at the lookout over there," he pointed. "Wanna take a walk?"

She nodded and they went over to the lookout, sitting down on one of the benches. Below them was the project to restore the old Sutro baths, once the largest indoor swimming pool complex in the world - in the late 1800s. It had just recently started up again after the earthquake. The arc lights illuminated the freshly built walls and the new steel structure that was being erected over it. The restored baths were in the same position as the original ones, clinging to the rock face and extending out into the Pacific Ocean. They would be impressive when they were finished but Maddie could think of better ways to spend your money; even if you were a rich philanthropist friend of her Moms.

"Do you know Jasper Whitlock?" She asked.

Ben nodded. "Yes." He replied. Here in the better light she could see that his eyes were bright blue and he had the most beguiling face. Why was she suddenly tripping over fabulous guys right now?

"Do you get scared, hanging around with vampires?"

Ben shook his head. "No, why would I? They're not going to harm me."

"But don't they wanna… eat you?"

Ben chuckled. "No. Vampires aren't cannibals Maddie; they don't eat people, they drink their blood."

"So they don't want to drink your blood?"

"No. There are other ways to get blood without resorting to the murder of humans, you know?"

Maddie thought about that. "Donated blood? Like from hospitals?"

"Yes, although they don't steal it from hospitals. They buy it."

"You can buy blood?"

"If you know the right people you can."

"Who do they know?"

"Doctors."

"Oh, figures. So do lots of people know that vampires exist?"

Ben shook his head. "No. You are one of a select group, and you must, absolutely _must_ keep that to yourself. Not only to protect them, but to protect yourself. Knowing of the existence of vampires comes with its own dangers."

"I know. Jasper told me about the Volturi."

"Yes, they're one of the dangers we'll be protecting you from, along with this San Francisco coven."

"How many of you… them are there?"

"Close to thirty."

"So you're as big as the coven in the city?" That gave Maddie hope.

"No. Only seventeen of us are engaged in this, the rest are elsewhere. They do outnumber us, but we believe we have the strategic advantage. We have Jane and we have Jasper. He's trained us to fight and that's not something these city vampires will have done."

"You sound like you class yourself as one of them." The wind was blowing in strongly from the ocean and Maddie pulled her jacket tighter around her.

"I do class myself as one of them. I'll do my bit and I'll fight as hard as I can. Jasper's trained me, just like the others."

"Do you think he would train me?"

"I don't know. You could ask him."

"So do your Mum and Dad know about vampires?"

"Yes, don't forget my Uncle is one."

"And your parents? Are they in any danger from the Volturi?"

"Well, they might be; but personally I don't like the Volturi's chances if my Mum wades in. She can get pretty scary." Ben grinned.

"But they're _vampires_." Maddie emphasized.

"And she's a northern British woman with a gob the size of the Mersey tunnel. Or so my Uncle says. He's her twin."

"What's so special about the Mersey tunnel?"

Ben narrowed his eyes a little. "It's loud. If you meet my Mum you'll understand."

"Am I likely to meet your Mom, I mean Mum?"

Ben appraised her. "It depends how unlucky you are." His face suddenly broke out into a wide grin, which made the muscles in her stomach spontaneously tighten. She couldn't identify the reaction, was it thrill or fear?

"So apart from collecting data from me, what do you do for Jane?"

Ben shrugged. "Everything and anything. It's kinda like my first job, she has me doing lots of things to gain some experience."

"So you just graduated school?" That would put him at around eighteen or nineteen.

"Yes."

"Where from?"

"Dawson City. It's up in the Yukon."

"You're Canadian?"

"No, I'm American but we've lived in Canada for several years."

"I've only ever lived in San Francisco. My friends just moved down from Alaska. What's it like up there?"

"Cold." He grinned. "No, seriously, it's great. I like it more than here. Cities are great but I like to get out and run and you can't do that here."

Maddie scoffed. "Yes you can, plenty of people run here. There's Golden Gate Park, that's nice."

Ben shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. It's not for me; the city makes me feel hemmed in. I don't know how you stand it."

"It's all I've known."

"Do me a favour." He said, looking at her again with those intense blue eyes. "Get out into the wild places sometime, smell the air, taste the rain."

"Taste the rain?" She snickered.

"What's wrong with tasting the rain?" He smiled and she got that pull in her stomach again.

"It makes you sound like a hippie."

"That's no bad thing. My Dad's kind of an old hippie, a very _old_ hippie."

That explained his slight shabbiness. Maddie did the math, working out that Ben's father must be in his seventies if he was around in the 1960s.

"My Mom's about as far removed from a hippie as you can get. You could cut your finger on her sharp suits." Replied Maddie.

"I know. I've seen pictures of her. She looks as scary as my Mum, but for different reasons. She's a good businesswoman though; there aren't many CEOs who can deliver sustained year-on-year growth like that."

"She won't be taking any credit for Elba's growth this year, not if she doesn't stop partying and get back to work."

"That's a little harsh."

Maddie was the one to shrug this time. "I think I preferred my Mom when she was endlessly working, rather than endlessly partying. I've barely seen her since she met Veronica Johnson."

"Veronica Johnson's not her real name."

"Really?"

"No, Johnson's a pseudonym, although Veronica is her real name. She used to be married to a vampire called Carlo who ran the city. But Carlo was killed by the Volturi earlier this year. Apparently the SFPD got way too close to uncovering more than they bargained for, when they smashed a crime ring. The Volturi took out three Detectives and were responsible for a fire that destroyed a lot of the evidence."

"I remember that. It was an awful accident."

"It was no accident. They were deliberately targeted because they knew too much. That's the kind of thing you're up against, Maddie. You need to be careful of Veronica. Do nothing to arouse her suspicion. If you even suspect that you've been compromised, call me or Jasper and one of us will get you out of there. This thing will be over very quickly, Jane's hoping to go in on the night of the gala fundraiser, but until then it'll be pretty intense."

"The fundraiser on Halloween?"

"Yeah. Ironic, right?" Ben smiled. "But I can't emphasise enough Maddie, how important it is that you do not say a word to _anyone_. Even people you think couldn't possibly know anything about this, please don't be tempted to even hint at it. After this, we should keep our meetings quick and vary the location."

"OK." Maddie replied in a businesslike fashion, but the twinge in her stomach this time was not a thrill but disappointment. Ben would have been someone she could talk to about the situation. Maddie wasn't good at bottling stuff up, it tended to leak out somewhere if she did, so it was good that she'd always had Angel to talk to. Unfortunately, she couldn't talk to Angel about this.

"One final thing." Ben said as they returned to their respective cars. "Use those beauty products faithfully, even when you've seen friends or seen me. You could have passed one of us in the school hallway and not known it. If those vampires catch the scent of my vampires before this trap is ready to spring; we could all be history."

Maddie, suitably warned, returned home and as she waited for the garage door to rise, she glanced across at the Chambers' house and caught sight of the back of Jory's Dad going out for another run. A second later there was a familiar voice.

"Hey Dad, _wait!"_ It was Jory, also in sweats, running down the street after his Dad. Maddie smiled and watched the pair of them vanish into the night.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: What Passes for Normal**

Maddie's life settled back into what passed for 'normal'. Each day after school she'd pay a visit to her Mom's office and take copies of anything new she found to do with the Solace Foundation. Her Mom may be the CEO of a technology company, but as far a technology itself was concerned, the less of it she had to interact with, the better. So she had one email address and was a ruthless filer of things within it.

With the Foundation's offices now up and running, there was no need for Veronica to hang around their house like a bad smell and Maddie was glad of that; the fewer vampires in the house the better, even if she was being faithful to her promise to use the beauty products she'd been given. Away from that, Maddie's life was mostly the same as it had always been, with the addition of one big thing: The Chambers family.

As October's first week gave to the second Maddie found herself hanging out more and more with Jory and she liked the family's casual informality. She liked the simple things; the way the sofa squished under her, not like at home where you perched on it and everything was magazine centre-spread perfect. Maddie liked the pile of coats and shoes and the puddle of bags in the hallway; the slightly overflowing laundry pile, the things on the counter top that hadn't quite made it into the dishwasher and the endless, _endless_ books. Peter and Stephanie were obviously great readers and still liked to buy the physical books. Jory and Kate both had e-readers, but in Kate's room she found a run of Jasper Whitlock's books and couldn't help but start looking at them, finding herself drawn like a magnet into the nineteenth century vampire turf battles set against the backdrop of the Civil War. Perusing the books piqued her attention sufficiently to start reading the book that Jasper had given her. Wouldn't it be something to be able to tell Kate that she'd met one of her favourite authors?

Maddie found herself staying up into the wee small hours of the morning every single night, her head now permanently awash with vampires. From having zero interest in anything to do with them she now found herself gravitating toward anything vaguely related, including the school dance club's Halloween show. They were putting together a performance of Michael Jackson's _Thriller _and the notice one morning in registration announced that they needed people to make up packs of zombies and vampires. It made Maddie smile and a mischievous side of her, dormant for so long since her Dad's 'death' suddenly woke up. '_That would be fun_', she said to herself and pitched up that lunchtime to find Kate Chambers in the line for the auditions too.

"Be a vampire with me!" Kate urged her. "Vampires are cool!"

Maddie smiled secretly to herself and an image of her Dad with those same red eyes as Jasper filled her mind. If her Dad was one then yes, Vampires would be cool.

The 'V' word became something that she and Kate bonded over, with Kate enthusiastically pushing the stack of Jasper's books into Maddie's arms when Maddie told her they had a shared love of the stories.

"Read them then we can talk about them!" Kate enthused. They are so cool!"

They were cool and Maddie was surprised that Peter Chambers allowed his daughter to read them, because they were a little sexy in places. In common with many parents, he must not know what was in the books his kids were reading. Her Mom knew nothing of the few books Maddie read and she absolutely would not approve of them if she did. Jasper's books weren't too bad, there wasn't a Diego's Den; but she was left with no uncertain view that vampire couples did a lot of… coupling. But Maddie wasn't reading them for that, it was the story that had grabbed her. One night, particularly struck by the vividness in a couple of chapters, she messaged Jasper himself and asked whether or not these things had really happened?

"Yes. I'm pretty much writing what happened to me from 1863." He replied by text. "There's some poetic licence but all the vampires and basic situations are real."

That had stunned her. She particularly like the character of Randall and discovered a wry smile on her face when she discovered she wasn't actually imagining the vampire described in the book, the guy she'd pictured in her head was Ben Taylor, just with red eyes.

Ben. Even the thought of his name made her stomach tighten. It wasn't so much with Jory now. She'd accepted that he wasn't interested in her. Funny, but it was very easy to think of Jory as a brother. More so because occasionally, just when he turned to the side, it was almost like she was glimpsing her Dad. He was almost like a big squashy cushion of a friend and being at the Chambers' house felt like she'd been adopted by a normal family.

"Or what passes for normal around here." Stephanie joked, as Maddie had relayed how she felt about being in their house late one afternoon. Jory and Kate were making snacks in the kitchen and Maddie had followed Stephanie into the laundry room, not really knowing exactly why at first. And then Maddie realised that she felt in need of a 'Mom-figure' to talk to. Where this thing was going was started to press down on Maddie and didn't even begin to address the enormity of the thing about her Dad. Stephanie set the washer going and turned back to Maddie.

"It's very kind of you to say that, Maddie." Stephanie continued. "Kate, Jory and Peter have been through a lot and I'm glad that you feel at home here. You're more than welcome anytime, day or night; I always keep the spare bed made up." She straightened up, replaced the lid on the washing capsules and putting it back on the shelf. She looked a little better than she did when she'd first joined the school, but she was still very pale. She pulled the barrette out of her hair and shook it out. "Peter had some difficult years, so to see his children settled and thriving means a lot to him."

"I've still not met him."

Stephanie smiled. "You will, it's just that this month is very busy. A couple more weeks and he'll have the Solace Foundation work done and he can kick back a little."

Maddie realised that if he did submit that bid he would be tied up in this whole thing which would make the family known to the vampire community.

"You know, I don't think this Solace Center thing is all that great. I don't think he should go for it."

Stephanie's brow furrowed. "Why would you say that? Isn't your Mom about to be named as the new Chief Executive? That's what Peter told me is circulating on the grapevine."

Maddie sighed and leant back against the cupboards. "Yeah, she is. But… I don't know. I just… I have a gut feeling that this thing isn't all that great. I really don't think he should submit a bid."

"But it's massive. New York is already interested, Chicago too. If Peter won the contract to supply the technology needs for all of North America, it could really take his business to the next level. He could get an office instead of endlessly working from home, even get an assistant." Stephanie smiled. "He already works too hard as it is. I assume Elba are submitting a bid?"

"No. Mom's still the CEO of that; even if she's barely there. She said it wouldn't be viewed favourably by the other bidders. You can imagine the outcry if they won."

"True. But Peter's invested a lot of work in this. He wouldn't thank me if I went in and told him that you'd said not to bother."

"No, I guess not." A flutter of worries started up inside and Maddie held her hand over her fluttering belly. Stephanie noticed.

"Are you OK? You don't look great."

"Yeah."

Stephanie looked unconvinced. "You look anxious. Are you really that concerned about the Solace bid?"

Maddie shook her head. "It's not just that, it's a lot of things that are getting to me right now. I feel very… alone." It was a startling thing to admit to someone she barely knew, but it was a measure of how at home Maddie felt in this house and how comfortable she felt in Stephanie's presence. Right this minute she could really do with one of Jory's pain-killing hugs.

"Come have something to eat and I'll make some hot chocolate. Peter's sister virtually lives on the stuff and she picked up this great recipe in South America a couple of summers ago. I promise you, you won't have tasted hot chocolate like this."

Maddie and Stephanie made their way back into the kitchen where Kate was making the most enormous sandwich. Maddie found herself gravitating over to Jory, wondering how awkward it would be to ask for a hug. But she didn't need to; as she got to him he automatically wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in, while still berating his sister for getting peanut butter on almost every kitchen surface. Maddie stood there, feeling the warmth of him, listening to his heart beat and wondering how it would be possible to turn this into a real boyfriend / girlfriend relationship. And then from nowhere the image of Ben Taylor popped into her head which made her snicker. Boys were like busses. There were none for ages and then three good ones came along at once.

Jory pulled her back. "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh nothing, just a random thought in my head." She grinned at him.

"Tell you what made me laugh today. "Jory said. "Kate telling me that you're going to be a vampire with her."

"She is." Said Kate through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Kate," warned Stephanie. "Don't speak with your mouth full."

"Sorry." Kate replied from behind her hand.

"Yeah, we both got in," Said Maddie. "We're going to be part of team vampire!"

Jory laughed. "Dancing to Michael Jackson with zombies?"

"Not now." Replied Maddie. "Executive decision from the Musical Director, we're dancing to the Glee version. He says it has more about it than the original."

"Oh my god, if a million Michael Jackson fans could hear you now." Jory replied, his face in a smirk. He released Maddie from the hug, a little sooner than she'd have liked. She wasn't quite done with his 'arms of calm.'

"Well I like it." Said Kate. "The Glee version's good."

"That's not saying a lot," said Jory. "Your music taste is right down there with Emmett's."

Kate pulled her tongue out at her brother. "Emmett's is cool. Pops has got the worst music taste."

Both Jory and Stephanie started laughing.

"Who's Pops?" Asked Maddie.

"Our Grandfather. Dad's sort of Dad." Replied Jory.

"What do you mean _sort of Dad_?" Maddie asked, intrigued.

"Dad was adopted."

"Oh. And your grandfather has really bad taste in music?"

Jory pulled a face, a little uncertain. "Well, it's not so much as bad, as stalled - in about 1956." He said.

Across the counter, Kate reached for another slice of bread. Stephanie darted over and whipped the bag away.

"Oh no you don't, you won't eat dinner."

"I will!" Kate remonstrated.

"That's true, she will." Said Jory. "With that bottomless pit for a stomach she has."

"I still think that's enough. Offer Maddie a sandwich instead." She handed the loaf back to Kate. "I'll make some hot chocolate."

"Yay!" Kate bounced. "The special recipe?"

"Yes." Replied Stephanie pulling the ingredients from the cupboard.

"Yay!" Kate threw her hands up and behind Stephanie's back, stole another piece of bread.

Later that night found Maddie out at Crissy Fields staring at the Golden Gate Bridge and waiting for Ben. He arrived shortly after and joined her, leaning against the hood of her Volvo.

"I forgot to say last time, that's a nice car you have. You went for the X300R, not the J?"

"I didn't get a choice, it just arrived. A mix up at the dealership. What's the difference?"

"Nothing much, just the internal styling." He smiled, it seemed to be a private joke, but she ignored it. His smile had set her stomach off again and she acknowledged it for what it was; a thrill. She couldn't deny it, Ben Taylor was gorgeous. With Anthony Masen being her brief encounter and Jory insisting on being more like her big brother, maybe her luck would change with nice guy number three? She did have his number; perhaps she could call and ask him out?

"So you have something for me?" He continued.

Maddie handed over her stick; he cribbed the information off it and handed it back to her.

"I have a message from Jasper for you." He said.

"Oh?"

"Would you meet him tomorrow evening at Diego's? Same deal as before?"

Her thrill instantly turned to fear and Ben's startling eyes were doing nothing to help.

"Sorry but there's a bit of an ulterior motive to this visit. He needs to get more information about the layout of the place and you are a legitimate way in. He'll meet you outside, of course at nine o'clock. None of us would expect you to go into that nest of vipers on your own."

Maddie gave Ben a weak smile.

"What do you say? Shall I tell Jasper yes?"

Maddie nodded although it was a deeply reluctant one.

"OK."

Maddie pulled her jacket tighter around her, against the shudder that went through her. It was too thin to be effective against the strong onshore breeze or her internal disquiet. She stared out at the lights of Sausalito across the bay.

"They're really grateful for this, you know?" Ben said.

Maddie didn't reply. Her only motivation was that it might one day yield something from Jasper about where her Dad might be. She didn't care about the business dealings of vampires; he was her sole motivation in this.

"I'm not doing it for them." She replied, slightly snappier than she would've liked.

"I never made the assumption that you were."

"Jasper knows what my side of the bargain is."

"Bargain?" Ben questioned. "You don't strike bargains with vampires Maddie; don't be so naïve."

The criticism in his tone of voice stung and she glared at him.

"Vampires are the most duplicitous, selfish creatures on the earth." He continued. "You must never trust a vampire, ever."

Maddie could see the logic in not trusting Diego, but what about Jasper? Dionne? What about her own Dad?

"Should I trust Jasper?" She countered.

"As a rule you shouldn't trust any vampire; whether an individual one proves themselves trustworthy is a different matter." He angled himself around a little more to her. "They can't come and go in this city like you or I can. They don't have the freedom like we do; they are always looking out for number one and their continued existence depends upon it."

"Do you trust Jane? How do you know that she's on the level with you?"

"I don't, not entirely. She's twelve hundred years…"

"Twelve _hundred?_" Maddie boggled.

"Yes. Age is a relative thing for vampires. I would trust Jane in many circumstances, but she was a member of the Volturi for well over a thousand years, she knows things that the rest of us can only guess at. If she could seize an advantage she would do."

"So I shouldn't trust Jasper at all?"

"You can trust him with your safety, which is most definitely in his interests. You are the way he can get in and out of Diego's place without detection; he's not going to compromise anything that puts this plan in jeopardy. As for your bargain? Don't bet on it. He would need to be an exceptional vampire indeed to have developed a sense of altruism." Ben stood up. "I need to go. Get in contact when you have more for me and good luck for tomorrow. Having heard what goes on in that place, I really don't envy you." He reached out and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder, letting it drift a little way down her arm as he stepped away. "I'll see you round." He called as he got back into his car, started it and pulled away.

Maddie wasted no time in returning to her own car, retreating to the safety of the warm Volvo. She put her head back and closed her eyes. The hope of ever meeting her father was ebbing slowly away.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: The Changing Rooms**

Jasper appeared to be taking no chances with her safety, he pulled open her door the second she killed the engine of her car. He gave her his hand to help her out and placed it over his arm as they walked the half a block back to Avery Street. Both of them were wrapped up warmly against the increasing October chill and Jasper was wearing a hat, pulled low and casting a deep shadow across his face.

"Ben told me of your conversation last night." He said as they walked. "May I assure you that your safety is of paramount importance to me and to all of us. Ben is wise to caution you against trusting vampires _per se_, but you are very special to us Miss Mitchell and that lack of trust does not extend to you. His comment about Jane was misplaced, she is on our side now but she has a fearsome reputation. Most of the vampires in this coven will know of her in her former capacity as a Volturi Enforcer. She is somewhat legendary."

Maddie looked at him and caught the gleam of teeth beneath the brim. "Is that supposed to be a joke?" She asked, unsure of what was what when it came to vampires.

Jasper stopped and nudged up his hat a little. "Not at all." He said in his soft southern accent. "Many of our kind have not found Jane remotely funny. My smile was merely a reaction to knowing what would happen if Jane did actually pay them a visit."

"Why doesn't she?"

"Oh she will, when the time is right. Meanwhile, I have to collect information to make that happen and you are rather integral to that. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Replied Maddie, suddenly hoping that Jane would take care of Diego.

Jasper was welcomed back to the den as a valued client; while Maddie was treated as if she was something nasty he had stepped in on the way. Jasper asked a few exploratory questions about the venue, enquiring about other facilities that were available other than the private room he had been in before. The host, for want of a more suitable title, offered him a tour, which Jasper readily accepted and clasped Maddie tighter to him. She could feel his talent for numbing her emotions was helping her to remain calm in the face of mounting pressure. The young vampire who had greeted them, (it was hardly a great distinction, they all appeared to be young), took them around the sunken oval. Maddie did not look and tried her hardest to block out the cries of distress coming from a human woman in the far corner who was being mercilessly pounded by the vampire above her. Worse, Jasper had to pull her out of the way as she nearly stumbled over a drained corpse, another woman, her eyes were fixed open in terror; blood was still seeping from the bite on her neck. Not only that, but there was a pool of something glistening on the floor between her legs. Maddie didn't want to know what it was, but suspected she knew. She grasped the sleeve of Jasper's jacket and he responded by taking her hand in his and sweeping his right arm around her, intensifying the numbing effect he had. Cold hard lips briefly kissed her temple.

"That isn't going to happen to you." He whispered. "I absolutely promise."

They walked on, Maddie now feeling safer, if somewhat colder from Jasper's embrace. The host walked them over to another corridor, from which whimpers and screams could be heard. Maddie's breathing caught in her chest.

The host turned back to them and smiled. "Our Changing Rooms." He said. "We don't leave them out here; it can get a little loud when we get a screamer; so we put them in these little cells whilst they convert. We have two in right now. Wanna see?"

Jasper nodded and the host indicated to a small window in the door. He looked through for a couple of seconds and then retreated.

The host turned to Maddie. "Would you like to look?"

Maddie shook her head. She could already hear from his screams of anguish that it was a man in there. There was only one man she was imagining writing on the floor of small cell and that was enough of a mental image without giving her head more to work with. Tears welled in her eyes and she turned her head towards Jasper, hoping to find some solace in the dark folds of his coat. They walked on, past more vampires doing things she'd rather not have seen, with things that she really had no idea you could do that with. The only saving graces about the whole place were that it was dark and that Diego didn't appear to be around - his throne at the head of the sunken oval was empty. Jasper and she were escorted around a network of tunnels to another set of private rooms where Jasper guided her into one, shut and locked the heavy door behind them.

"Sound-proofed. We can talk in here."

This room was not as sparse as the first room had been; this one had a harness suspended from the ceiling and things in racks against the wall. Unpleasant things in racks against the wall, Maddie noted. Jasper lowered her gently onto the bed then got a chair from the corner of the room and placed it a short distance in front of her. From the inside pocket of his coat he took something.

"In return for tonight, you get this." Jasper handed her a thick cream envelope. "It's not his direct line, I couldn't get that, but it is the contact details of the holding company that controls all of Edward Cullen's business interests and there are a great many. He is a very rich man."

"Man?" Maddie questioned.

"Vampire. We don't tend to make that distinction."

"So I just call him up?" Maddie looked at the envelope uncertainly, alternating between feeling as if she'd been handed either the most priceless jewel or an unexploded bomb.

"You can do what you want. Call him, message him, write a letter, whatever you want. As much as I could get is in there."

She turned it over, slid a finger under the flap and worked open the envelope. She looked up at him. "Thank you." She said, suddenly remembering her manners.

"You're more than welcome. Thank you for your help. I know Ben's comments must have made you doubt me, but I assure you; your unfortunate meeting with a city vampire has yielded a goldmine. Getting you this information in return is the least I could do."

"How did you get it?"

"I went south; to some of my old contacts, people you'll have read about in the book I gave you."

"I've read three now!" Maddie said with a smile.

Jasper smiled. "It's not compulsory you know."

"Oh no, I love them! To be honest I've kind of fallen a little in love with Will Randall."

"Have you now? I'll be sure to tell him."

Maddie's eyes bugged. "What? _No!_" She flushed scarlet and Jasper chuckled.

"As I said in our exchange of messages, these are real vampires who either were around at the time or are still around now. Will is still very much around."

"Was he the one who knew about Edward Cullen?"

"No, Will isn't a nomadic vampire. I got that information from Peter and Charlotte. Two vampires who appear in book five if you keep reading. They have wandered from one end of the United States to the other. It was they who gave me the lead of where to focus." Jasper tapped the envelope. "Open it, look at the information. I don't want you leaving here thinking that I haven't given you as much as I can."

Maddie pulled out the heavyweight cream paper from inside and opened it up. Edward Cullen's registered business details were written out in beautiful black ink calligraphy, of the sort she had only seen in photographs of old letters. One word caught her eye and made her exclaim.

"_Forks?"_ She looked at Jasper quizzically.

"Yes, is that significant?"

"I don't know. I did a search for Edward Cullen and the only return that came up was a single mention of someone of that name at Forks High School. But that was… years ago."

"Was he donating something?"

"No, he was a student, I think. He'd won something. I didn't pay too much attention; I didn't think vampires went to school."

"Perhaps it's just someone with the same name?"

"Yeah." Maddie said a little absent-mindedly, looking at the contact details.

"I looked the place up on mapping software," Jasper continued. "It's just an ordinary family home right across from a church; but out of it he seems to run an entire business empire. All his companies are registered there."

"So this vampire lives in the middle of a small town in Washington State?"

"I don't know, because there's no one called Cullen registered as living at that address, it belongs to Mr and Reverend Swan. I believe she's Pastor of the church across the street."

"A Pastor? Wow." Maddie didn't need to be a Christian to understand the potential ramifications of a Pastor harbouring a vampire. Maddie stared at the information again lapsing into silence now that contact with her Dad was a giant leap closer. Or possibly not. Perhaps Mr Cullen didn't know where her Dad was now? Perhaps they'd had a fight and he hated her Dad and wouldn't speak to her? Perhaps… Perhaps… All matter of reasons why Edward Cullen wouldn't be on the other end of the line, wouldn't talk to her, or wouldn't know where her father was, or even if he was still alive, crowded into her head. Jasper must have sense her agitation because she slowly felt her anxiety fade away.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"I'm afraid to call him." She admitted.

"Why?"

"He's a… vampire."

"Maddie, he can't hurt you down a phone."

Of course, she knew that, but it still didn't stop her worrying about endless things that might happen as a result of calling him.

"Perhaps the number goes straight to an answering service." Jasper said. "In which case leave a message, tell him who you're looking for and if he can help I'm sure he'll get back to you."

"But I'm not supposed to know he's a vampire."

"He's been to San Francisco once before, remember? You told me how he met your father. Just tell him that one of them contacted you and that's how you discovered what happened to your Dad. Don't mention the vampire thing. He can't argue with the truth. Well, yes he can, he's a vampire. Vampires will argue that black is white if they need to."

Maddie still looked unsure.

"What's the matter?" Jasper asked. "You should be ecstatic but I don't see a happy woman in front of me, I see someone who looks, dare I say it; _frightened?"_

"I am." Maddie whispered.

Jasper hunched forward, clasping his hands together between his knees and resting his forearms on his thighs. "What's the worst that can happen?" He asked gently.

Maddie thought. "That my Dad is alive and doesn't want to see me."

"OK. When you talked to Dionne, did she say anything about your father that would make you think that?"

Maddie shook her head. "No. She said he used to hang out on my balcony at night when we lived down on Jackson. When we moved to Presidio Terrace he used to go sit on the roof of my friend's house."

"So the chances are that he would like to see you. Agreed?"

Maddie nodded. "But…"

"But what?"

"But Edward Cullen."

"What about Edward Cullen?"

Maddie started to shake. Could she really call up a vampire and ask for her Dad? She didn't think she was brave enough, when the very thought of where it might lead was making her head explode. "I'm scared. Would you call him?" She blurted out.

"Maddie, this is just a guy on the end of a telephone line, he is not going to bite you down the phone and we are not going to allow anything to happen to you. You are enormously brave to even set foot in this building, let alone sit in here with me for an hour. Honestly, he won't hurt you, a vampire with that many business interests would not want even the mere suggestion of suspicion attached to him. But if it makes it easier I'll sit with you while you call."

Maddie nodded. "OK."

"Shall we do it now?" Jasper asked.

"It's a little late."

"Vampires don't sleep; they really don't have much of a concept of late and early. Give me your phone."

Maddie handed over her Sirius to him and Jasper, taking the sheet of paper back from her, keyed in the number.

"OK, now what are you going to say?" He asked.

"Hello, can I speak to Edward Cullen please?"

"That's just fine," said Jasper. "That's all it takes to call a vampire." Jasper pressed the 'call' button and handed it back to Maddie.

She placed it to her ear. It rang four times before it was answered, by a woman.

"Hello, C.E.E. Inc." She said. She sounded professional enough, but from somewhere behind her came the sound of children playing.

"Um…" Said Maddie, struggling for compose, she felt a fresh wave of Jasper's calming action. "Could I… Could I speak to Edward Cullen please?"

"Edward? Oh he's not here right now, he's in San Francisco on business. If you need him, you can call him at the Mark Hopkins. Hang on." Maddie heard a hand being put over the receiver. "Charlie, what room is Edward in? Izzy get off _there!_" She hollered and came back on the line. "My little minx of a great has decided to climb the bookcase, one second." Maddie heard the sound of the phone being put down and looking to Jasper wrinkled her forehead in confusion. Of all the things she was expecting, this was not it.

"What's the matter?" He asked

"He's right here in San Francisco! At the Mark Hopkins! Oh my _God!_"

"Well that's great, isn't it?" Asked Jasper.

"I think so." Maddie wasn't sure.

There was a noise on the line. "Little minx retrieved!" Said the woman, clearly happy. "Edward's in suite 1801, you can call him there."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure, he doesn't bite, you know." She laughed. "Gotta get these kids to bed however, or I might."

Maddie ended the call and sat there for a moment, utterly perplexed. Edward Cullen was right here in San Francisco, that she did not expect. What she also didn't expect was what sounded like normal family domesticity on the other end of the line. The woman she spoke to, and she could only guess it had been the Reverend Swan, had seemed as normal and relaxed as anybody – even cracking a joke that Edward _didn't bite_. She must know he was a vampire. Were those all his kids too? Maddie looked at Jasper.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Call the Mark Hopkins, ask to speak to him."

"He's staying in a regular hotel?"

"What's wrong with that? I do. A pair of contact lenses easily covers up bright red eyes."

"But I know the Manager of the Mark Hopkins; he's never said that anyone's aroused his suspicions before now."

"Maddie, Edward Cullen is not going to be going around advertising the fact that he's a vampire. He'll want to be an anonymous as possible. Drawing attention to himself will be the last thing he'd do. Call the hotel while you're on a roll."

Maddie searched through her contacts and brought up the Mark Hopkins' number. She knew how their direct dial system worked so she keyed in the suite number. Her heart was in her mouth as it rang twice before being picked up.

"Edward Cullen."

There was silence from Maddie.

"Hello?" He pressed.

Jasper jabbed her in the ribs which made her gasp.

"Ah! Er… Hi…um… My name's… M-Maddie Mitchell, you might know my…"

"Daniel's daughter?" Came a smooth voice on the other end of the line.

Maddie gasped. "_Yes!_ Is he OK?" The question came tumbling out before she could stop it. Tears exploded out of her eyes and inside she felt like her heart was trying to turn itself inside out.

"He's fine, yes. This is an unexpected pleasure Maddie, how are you?"

"Fine!" She wailed through sobs. Jasper came to sit beside her and gently rubbed her back, producing a clean handkerchief as he did so. Maddie dabbed it to her streaming nose and eyes.

"You don't sound fine." Edward continued. "Have you been searching for him?" Maddie nodded through tears and then remembered that Edward Cullen couldn't hear the gesture.

"Yes." She squeaked. "For eleven years." Her words were punctuated by sobs.

"Then you'd better come and see me. I don't have any appointments tomorrow morning, would you like to come over about ten?"

"I can't, I'm at school."

"Oh, yes, school. How could I forget? Unfortunately I have meetings from then on until the evening."

"I c-could come over e-early. For breakfast?"

"Well that's fine by me. What time is convenient for you?"

"Um… six thirty? I have to be at school for seven forty five."

"Six thirty it is. You obviously know which room I'm in, so come straight up, I'll order breakfast for you."

"OK, thanks."

"You're welcome Maddie. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Maddie whispered and hung up. As she did so the floodgates opened and eleven years of heartbreak tumbled out over Jasper as she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed her heart out.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Edward Cullen**

Maddie did not need an alarm clock, because she hadn't slept a wink all night. She braced herself against the wall of the shower, allowing the hot water to cascade off her and felt vaguely more alive after that. She hurriedly dressed, wrinkling her nose at the realisation that she'd have to meet Edward Cullen in her school uniform – one of the never-ending horrors of going to such an exclusive school. She'd messaged Jory that she'd see him and Kate at school and had packed all her stuff last night. She'd manage to evade Margaret when she eventually got in last night, although how Margaret had not heard her heart hammering in her chest, she didn't know.

Maddie was in a heightened state of both excitement and fear. What she had not even dared to believe could happen was so close now; but it was at the hands of a vampire, a very rich and possibly very powerful vampire. Her mother's own position as the richest woman in San Francisco meant not a jot compared to this list of companies that seemed to emanate out of a regular family home in Forks, Washington. Pharmaceuticals, publishing, automotive, interior design, management consultancy, technology, the list went on and on and all of them fed back into C.E.E. Inc. The name Cullen was not mentioned once, so searching for that name would have yielded nothing and she most definitely would not have found this without Jasper's help. And what of the woman she'd spoken to on the phone? Did she know what Edward was? She'd answered the phone as C.E.E., but by the raucous sounds of children behind her, it sounded like she was running a nursery school. Maddie knew that Edward Cullen had a daughter, so perhaps he had others? Perhaps the woman was looking after an entire battalion of half-vampires? All these questions and more Maddie could ask him, in precisely thirty five minutes.

Maddie crept downstairs and out into the garage, opening the door before she started her car. She was thankful that fuel cell engines did not give off the roar that traditional engines did, this way she could sneak out without arousing too much suspicion. She'd left a note in the kitchen to say she was heading into school early to use resources in the library. She didn't want Margaret to worry about her and Maddie didn't care to hear her Mom's opinion. She drove through the streets, parking close to, but not right outside the Mark Hopkins, completing the last street on foot. She wanted as few people as possible to see her and using their parking garage would make it known that she was there. Her aim was to sprint straight through the lobby and into a well-timed departing elevator, but the chances of that happening were remote. She could use the staff entrance, but there was every likelihood that she'd bump into Stuart Covey and he was the last person she wanted to see this morning. Of all the hotels in the city, why did Edward Cullen have to stay at the Mark Hopkins? The answer to that was simple: After the earthquake it was the one that had been left in the best shape. The rest had suffered major structural failures; but for some reason, the Mark Hopkins had escaped with nothing more than cosmetic damage. Maddie reached the hotel, kept her head low and ignoring the greeting of the doorman, she strode purposefully in and across to the elevators.

"Maddie?" Came the question from Stuart from somewhere on her right side.

"Shit, shit, _shit!_" She said under her breath, each step being marked with an expletive as she slid neatly between the closing doors of a departing elevator.

"Floor ma'am?" Replied the attendant, finger poised on the keypad.

"Eighteenth please." Maddie replied, ignoring the disdainful glance from a fellow passenger that she, a mere schoolgirl, was heading up to the rarefied air of the eighteenth floor.

They rode in silence and Maddie was grateful of that, hoping that over the gentle hum of machinery nobody could hear her heart trying to burst out of her chest. This would not do, to meet Edward Cullen (vampire) in this agitated state. She closed her eyes and focussed on her breathing, taking big calming breaths to compose herself and hopefully quiet the vampire magnet currently working at full speed within her. The doors slid open; Maddie exited the elevator and took a left, following a sign pointing her in the direction of suite 1801. The door was at the end, it was a corner suite and one of the most prestigious in the hotel. She slowed as she approached, her heart doing absolutely nothing to stop its rampant salsa, regardless of how deep her breaths were or how much she willed herself to be calm. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, suddenly wishing that she'd left it in the trunk of her car. But it was too late for that, it was six twenty seven and she had an appointment with a vampire.

Maddie knocked three times on the door. She strained her hearing but heard no sound from within. Suddenly the door handle she was staring at started to turn, at the exact same moment that Maddie and her consciousness parted company.

Maddie came around lying on a sofa with her feet elevated and resting on the arm. She must have fainted, which was unsurprising given the state of agitation that she was in when she knocked on the door.

"Better?" Came a voice from the side of her. She turned her face to the speaker and gasped. There, sat opposite her, was not Edward Cullen but Anthony Masen.

Maddie exhaled, his familiar and very gorgeous face soothed away her anxiety. She pulled her feet off the arm and swivelled around, sitting upright and running her hand through her hair. "Sorry, I must have fainted."

"You did." He replied. "I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty of lying you on the sofa to recover?"

"No, not at all. Thanks. It was very kind of you. Look, I'd love to stay and chat but I have an appointment with someone in another room. He'll think I'm late."

"It's me."

Maddie laughed. "As much as I'd like that to be true, you're not the guy I'm here to see today."

"Yes I am." He smiled.

His flirting would be nice if it wasn't so goddam early in the morning. Maddie got up from the sofa. "You know, I would really like to see you sometime, seeing as we only met briefly before and again, now." Maddie rummaged in her bag, pulled out a scrap of paper and, grabbing a convenient pen off the coffee table wrote her cell phone number on it. "Give me a call, please. I'd love to dance and talk old clocks with you and…stuff. But, right now I have the _most_ important meeting of my life and…" she glanced at her watch, "_shit_ I'm nearly ten minutes late!" Maddie bolted for the door and wrenched it open. Anthony followed her over. "Call me, _please!"_ She implored. "Right now I have to get to room 1801." She glanced at the number on Anthony's door. "Oh. But this is…"

"1801, yes."

"But he said he was in 1801."

"I did, yes."

Maddie looked at Anthony and then _really_ looked at him. Pale skin and eyes that looked… weird. No, hang on, his eyes weren't red, they were… yellow?"

"We prefer gold." He replied to her unspoken thought. He came closer and held out his hand in greeting. "You're here to meet me, Maddie. I'm Edward Anthony Masen Cullen."

Maddie sipped at her coffee, a breakfast banquet was spread out on the dining table before her; but all she had picked at was a blueberry muffin. Her appetite had deserted her. Anthony… Edward she supposed she now had to call him, sat across from her and had done a lot of apologising over the necessary duplicity. He'd told her that in San Francisco the name Cullen was not safe for him to use; not after the incident with his daughter.

"Cullen is a marked name. It's fortunate that I have always stayed here under my original name of Masen. Cullen is a name we all take, to identify ourselves; not as a coven but as a family. Your father is now part of that family."

"And he's OK?"

"Yes. You might be interested in this." Edward opened a wallet on the table beside him and took out a photograph.

"This picture was taken a few days after your father had settled with us; it's him and my daughter, Ness. It may have been taken nine years ago, but other than his eye colour, nothing about him has changed." Edward handed it to her.

Maddie took the photograph from him and held it between shaking fingers. It was him, in glorious, marvellous Technicolor; looking straight at her and smiling. He looked happy! The fingers of her right hand moved to touch the image of his face and she noticed his red eyes. Edward had said his eye colour had changed?

"I need to tell you that I can read minds." Edward said. "Yes, his eye colour has changed. That's because the Cullen family do not hunt as traditional vampires do. We hunt animals, we drink animal blood. We want to exist alongside humans, work with them and live with them in some cases. But that doesn't mean we're entirely safe. Just because we choose not to kill humans doesn't mean that sometimes we don't lapse but our eye colour marks us out as different from other vampires."

Maddie could barely process what she was seeing. She stared at the image of her Dad, looking pale and red-eyed, but in every other way, he looked just fine. He looked like him, but different to her photo by her bed. He looked leaner, more angular, more defined somehow. Maddie's eyes flicked to the girl. They were sat together on the steps of what seemed to be a traditional-looking house, bordered by a deep veranda. The girl looked to be about Maddie's age and had long curly hair, the same colour as Edward's.

"This is your daughter? Sorry I forget what you said her name was."

"Renesmee, but she's only ever called that when she's done something wrong." Edward chuckled. "She's just Ness."

"And she's a… hybrid?"

"Yes. At the time she was born we thought she was unique. Now there are three more in our family alone and we're aware of seven in total worldwide. Daniel is father to two of them."

Maddie stared at Edward. What he'd said to her was almost bouncing off her brain, not able to find a way in. Her mouth was suddenly very dry and she stared again at the image of her Dad.

"He has other children?" She whispered. This was the most stunning piece of news yet.

"Yes. He met a woman, a human woman. They've been together over eight years now and have a boy of seven and a girl who's nearly five."

Maddie said nothing in response to this, she could hardly think at all, her brain felt like it had frozen solid and wouldn't process another thing.

"Are you OK Maddie?" Asked Edward. "I appreciate this is a big shock to you; but please let me reassure you, that you have been constantly in his thoughts since the day he wandered into Diego's path. I know he would love to see you again and you know now why he could never simply call you up and tell you he was fine and living in another part of the country. He doesn't know that we've met, but if you want me to I'll tell him and arrange for you both to meet. Would you like that?"

Maddie's thoughts turned instantly to her Dad's new family. "Do they know about me? His kids, his… partner?"

"His wife, they're married. Yes they do. He's told them that he has a human daughter, but not who you are. Just as you would be curious about them, the children would be curious about you. I'm sure you really wouldn't care for two random children showing up at your door claiming to be your step-sister and brother?"

"No. That'd freak me out."

"It's important that you and Daniel meet soon and I'm happy to set that up for you. Anything beyond that is for you and your father to work out. However, knowing the secrets about our family would subject you to certain conditions."

"I understand that this needs to remain a secret, for my own safety as much as yours."

"I'm glad you're aware of that.

"Is his wife still human?" Maddie asked.

"No. She took the decision shortly after their second child was born to ask him to change her."

"What are their names?"

Edward shook his head. "That's Daniel's prerogative to tell you that. I class Daniel as my adopted son, even if on the face of it, I look ten years younger than he does. That photograph is of my children and I am choosing to share that information with you. I trust that you will keep that information about who they are and about who I am, private?"

Maddie nodded. "Yes."

Edward took another two photographs from his wallet. "As far as I'm concerned there is one other person who is special to me and to your Father that I am happy for you to know about. Edward handed one of the photographs to Maddie. It was a wedding picture, of Edward and his wife. "This is my wife, Bella. Your father considers her his adoptive mother."

Maddie looked at the picture, she saw clearly now the difference between vampire and human as they stood side by side. Edward was so pale compared to his human wife. "Is Bella a vampire now?"

"Yes."

"She's not with you?"

"No. Ness and her husband are moving house this week and Bella is helping to look after their children."

"Was that her I spoke to on the phone yesterday?"

Edward smiled. "Ah, no. Bella was down at the old house. You would have spoken to my Stepmother-in-law."

"There was some kid called Izzy climbing the bookcase."

Edward's face split into a huge grin. "Oh Izzy…" He chuckled. "My daughter's children are quite a handful, but Izzy is mischief personified. Rather like you used to be, so I hear."

"He talks about me?" Maddie was suddenly intensely bashful.

"With immense love and pride. One of the saving graces for him is that the local press here are so interested in you. Because of that he gets the opportunity to see occasional pictures of you and read about some of the grand parties you go to with your Mom."

"I'd trade it all for a bedtime story." Maddie admitted.

"I'm sure that could be arranged." Edward said kindly and checked his watch. "You don't want to be late for school."

"No." Although how she'd managed to concentrate after today's revelations heaven only knew. Maddie stood up.

"But before you go, this is for you." Edward handed her another photograph, it was a cropped version of the one of her Dad and Ness. "I Photo-shopped Ness out. I guessed that you'd like to be able to familiarise yourself with what he looks like. But keep it safe and it goes without saying that this has to remain information that you keep secret."

"Of course." Maddie pulled out her pocketbook and slid the precious photograph in behind one of her and Angel.

"And please, take some food. I won't eat it." Edward smiled at her.

Maddie gathered a couple of muffins up in a napkin and stuffed a large piece of bacon into her mouth.

"I won't tell your father you did that." Edward raised an amused eyebrow at her. "I'll give him a call right now. Are there any days that are out for meeting up?"

"I can't do Sunday. It's my… it's Grandpa's 65th birthday. I said I'd go. That's my Dad's Dad. Peter Mitchell."

"I know. Daniel is aware of it and of course wishes that he could walk right back into their lives."

"It will be strange going there on Sunday knowing what I know now."

"Yes. But however tempted you may be you must not tell _anyone_ about us, at all, however close to you they are. That's vitally important."

"I understand."

"Shall I make arrangements for Saturday? I'll still be in San Francisco then."

"Saturday's good."

"OK. Well, you have a good day at school." Would it be an imposition for me to kiss you on the cheek? You're almost like family to me."

"No."

Edward put his hands on her upper arms and placed the lightest of kisses on her left cheek. His lips, like his handshake earlier were stone cold.

He pulled away. "It's been nice to meet you properly and to be honest with you about who I am."

"The night you were here for my birthday…?"

"That was an unexpected bonus. I overheard your name mentioned at the desk and contrived some way of getting into that part of the building. I've heard about you for years Maddie, it was only natural that I'd want to seek you out." He eyed her conspiratorially. "Don't tell Bella, but, you dance better than she does." He smiled.

"I loved it! Nobody has ever danced with me like you did."

"Well perhaps we could do that some more? I believe Mr Covey understands that you're a little taken with Anthony Masen? Perhaps he would be agreeable for the two of us to have the ballroom to ourselves for an hour?"

"Oh totally! Stuart will do anything I ask. We could do it right now, I could ditch school."

Edward smiled. "And Daniel would haul me over the coals for making you miss school."

Maddie grinned. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him." She winked.

Edward snickered. "You and your half sister are like two peas in a pod."

That brought Maddie up short. The thought that she would be anything like her Dad's two other kids hadn't occurred to her. "Really?" She asked.

"Really. Don't look so shocked. Hybrids are exactly like humans in so many ways. They're not robots, they're thinking, feeling bundles of DNA just like you are. You're going to be late, unless of course you would like me to drive you? I could get you there for the bell."

"I've brought my car."

"I could drive your car."

"It's a fuel cell Volvo, it's not a Maserati."

Edward rolled his eyes and held out his hand. "Give me your key and let's get going."

Maddie handed over her key and, grabbing her hand, Edward towed her into the emergency stairwell where he pulled her onto his back.

"You might want to close your eyes."

"Why?"

"I run fast."

"I'm O… Holy _fuck!_" The expletive rang through the cavernous space as Maddie clung to the back of the speeding vampire. No sooner had it started, than Edward came to a halt outside the door out onto the first floor and helped Maddie down off his back. "Sorry." Said Maddie, conscious that she'd yelled in Edward's ear. "That was a shock."

"I did warn you." He smiled.

"You did."

"To the Batmobile?"

"To the Batmobile. It's on Sacramento."

Edward once again took Maddie's hand and they made their way at speed through the lobby, but not before Stuart Covey had seen the pair of them and grinned like an imbecile at her.

"So I didn't need to call after all, you knew he was here." He called. "Nice work!"

Maddie grinned in return as they reached the doors. "Whatever!" She called back. Let Stuart imagine she'd hooked up with Anthony Masen. The reality would not be something she'd want to discuss.

Maddie didn't think she'd ever run so fast and she collapsed rather heavily into the passenger seat of her car, while Edward started it and seemed to just know where everything was.

"Do you drive a Volvo?" She asked.

"I _own_ Volvo." He replied.

She scoffed. "No shit?"

Edward veered in and out of the heavy morning traffic. In his own time he turned back to her and smiled. "No shit."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Mother and Daughter**

Maddie's phone vibrated and she read the new message. It was Edward and what he had to say sent her heart rate into a massive spike. Her Dad had agreed to meet her. Edward suggested that she come to his hotel room at ten on Saturday morning and he would take her to meet him.

"Maddie!" the teacher's sharp retort made her head snap up and she realised that Mrs King was glaring at her. "Are we boring you?"

It was fortunate that Mrs King hadn't seen the Sirius in her lap because that would mean instant dismissal from the class. She opened her legs a little and let the device slip between them in a hammock of skirt.

"No, Mrs King."

"I repeat, what main devices does Thomas Hardy use to criticise the prevailing social morality in _Tess of the D'Urbervilles?"_

There was no way out of this for one simple reason. "I'm sorry; I haven't read the book, yet."

Mrs King's shoulders sagged. "You were asked to read the book for the start of October so that we could have these discussions. I'm sorry that your education is getting in the way of your social life." The comment was barbed. "Perhaps if you didn't spend all your time at parties…"

"I am not always at parties!" Maddie snapped, jumping up and forgetting that her Sirius was still on her lap. By some measure of luck it fell harmlessly onto the soft fabric of her bag. "When did I last go to a party?" She shouted.

"Most of the new issue of _San Francisco Life_ seems to be devoted to your party at the Mark Hopkins." Mrs King called up the front page and displayed it on the screen for the class to see. There, on the front cover of the magazine was Maddie, resplendent in the fabulous blue dress and looking every inch the heir to the Mitchell millions. "Not only do you have the front cover but there are a further eighteen pages of pictures inside." Mrs King stroked the tablet to turn the pages, each one worse than before; a parade of Maddie pictured with every eligible young bachelor this side of the Rockies. The photographs had been necessary, her Mom said; to tell San Francisco that it was OK to party in difficult times. In reality, Helen had no doubt succeeded in garnering more funding for the Solace Center by having her daughter photographically linked with every rich family around. "Perhaps if you spent a little more time reading rather than dating, we'd get something out of you. As it is your grades are appalling."

Maddie's life was so much bigger than this. She hung out with vampires now, perhaps she could arrange for one of them to visit Mrs King? A wry chuckle unexpectedly escaped from her mouth. "Like I give a fuck." She muttered. She knew what came next and bent to pick up her bag as the _'out!'_ was yelled by her teacher. As she passed the other students' desks, Justin gave her a smile of respect, but Jory; sitting one desk in front of him did not turn to acknowledge her. For some reason that hurt and all her bravado evaporated in an instant, as she found herself out in the hallway and on her way to the Principal's office.

It was sat on a chair outside Mr Hernandez' office, that Justin caught up with her later. Her Mom had been called as Maddie's 'situation' could be ignored no longer.

"Hey." Justin said, sidling up to her. "Well done for sassing the Bitch King."

Maddie scoffed. "Hardly. I just said 'fuck.' Apparently that's almost an excludable offence now."

Justin was massive; six feet four of super-taut football player and fabulous eye candy with it. As first times went, he'd been OK but they'd both agreed that it was just sex, nothing more. 'Fuck buddies' he'd called it. Maddie was too much of a geek for him and Justin was too much of a player for Maddie. But she wouldn't say no if he offered himself again.

"I'm having another party tomorrow night; I hope you'll be there." He looked at her in a way that suggested that he was offering himself again and… why not? Jory was the big brother, Ben wasn't interested, Edward was… well, she wouldn't dwell on what Edward was – had she really tried to hit on her own Step-Grandfather and a vampire no less? Shit! But Justin was up for it, she could see that and what the hell. It was going to be a momentous weekend and there'd be no better thing than starting it with a party. She had something to celebrate.

"Sure."

"Great. Come over any time after eight." He bumped fists with her and left quickly for his next class. As he walked away she saw Jory, watching from down the hall. His face was a mask of disapproval and the hurt set in deeper.

"Fuck you." She levelled at him under her breath and he turned to go. Big brother was now the disapproving big brother.

While Jory's reaction hurt, her Mom's irritated the hell out of her. Helen Mitchell arrived at the school with Caitlin Collins her personal assistant in tow. This was never a good sign. Having Caitlin there was Helen's device for emphasising that she was too damn busy for this shit. Her mother was a vision in violet this morning, championing another one of the city's new designers and she would have walked straight by Maddie had Caitlin not spied her and alerted Helen that her daughter was there. This revelation seemed to catch Helen off guard.

"I don't recognise you with short hair." Her Mom snapped. "Grow it back."

"I like it like this, it's easy to manage."

"Well I don't." Her Mom considered her for a moment. "OK, if you will have it short then at least have Franco do something decent with it. Right now it looks like it's been hacked." So short hair was OK if the right people styled it. "What have I been summoned down here for?" Her Mom was in a _take no prisoners_ sort of a mood. "I'm supposed to be in a meeting to tie up primary-level funding for Solace, so this better be a good use of my time."

Maddie didn't think that her Mom would ever consider education a good use of her time. She had grafted from eighteen and had nothing but a degree from the University of Life. If Maddie wanted to go on to study she knew she'd have to fund it herself, her Mom would see little point to that and most likely refuse to pay. Not that any University would be falling over themselves to be offering her a place, right now; she was barely making low B's at best.

"I had a disagreement with Mrs King."

"Who's Mrs King?"

"My English Literature teacher. You met her at the last parents' evening."

"Did I? I don't remember her."

"Mrs Cheap Wool Dress you said."

"Oh her." Helen grimaced.

"I think they also want to talk to you about my grades."

"Why? You'll graduate, what's the point? I can give you a job at Elba or Solace, you won't need them for anything. In fact, you'd be great at Solace…"

"I'd rather work at Elba." Maddie interjected. There was no way she was going anywhere near Solace now that she knew what it really was.

Her Mom looked surprised and also, quite touched. "Really? You would?" Suddenly a smile lit her face; her daughter and she were speaking the same language. Helen turned to Caitlin. "Ask the section heads to put together a role that gives some experience in all our departments. Junior of course." She turned back to Maddie. "But in time, you could take over from me."

"I think your shareholders might have something to say about that." Maddie replied.

Her Mom shrugged. "I'll just buy the company back if they object."

Behind her, Caitlin rolled her eyes and Maddie bit her lip to stop a grin. Her mother's grip on reality was slipping. Elba was not the small company it once was, she'd need more money than the banks would lend her to buy it back. Maddie felt it was her duty to point this out.

"Mom you could never get the money together for that."

"Oh yes I could. Veronica knows some very wealthy Italian investors who could provide me with every cent I'd need."

The Bank of Volturi, no doubt. Maddie gave a shudder. "Mom that won't be necessary, I'll be happy to do a bit of coding for Michael."

It was Helen's turn to shudder and she looked at Maddie with disdain. "Coding? Are you serious? Well I suppose you are your father's daughter. Maybe coding is genetic."

"Yes, it's called DNA." Maddie muttered under her breath. "Dad was good at coding," she said louder. "Michael told me he could recognise Dad's coding anywhere. In fact, did you know that his coding still underpins a lot of what goes out from Elba? He was _that_ good!" Maddie suddenly felt fiercely proud and protective of her father, because from tomorrow he would be back in her life!

Helen looked a little shocked. "Where did that come from? You haven't mentioned your father in years? Why now? He's dead. I thought you'd gotten over all that. Do I need to get back in touch with Dr Simpson, is this why you're failing in school?"

A slightly hysterical laugh burst from Maddie. "What do you mean got over _all that?_ Do you think I'd simply forget about him? I was six. A Daddy looms large in a girl's life when she's six. I always wanted to know what happened to him, why he was never the one they pulled from the Bay or found decomposing on a garbage pile. You may not have cared about him, Mom, but I did and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss him!"

Her Mom mercifully said nothing. Things that Maddie had kept bottled up for the last eleven years suddenly presented themselves in her mind. They needed expressing.

"Why did you marry Dad? Did you even like him or was he just a sperm donor and a no questions way of getting rid of your name? Is that all he was to you?"

Helen looked around the hallway, she looked deeply unsure of herself and Maddie suspected she wanted as few people as possible to be witnesses to this. She cleared her throat. "Caitlin, I need to spend some time with Madison, would you leave us alone please?"

"Of course."

Helen and Maddie sat on the chairs, while Caitlin's heels clacked their way down the hall.

"You've never talked to me about Dad. I was a little girl; it would have helped me to cope if you had."

"I'm sorry. I truly am. The truth is…your father was a classic of case of not knowing what you had until it's gone. I was stupid, I let him slip through my fingers and by the time I realised that, it was too late; he was dead."

"Did you love him?"

"Not at the time we were married, for which I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself. No, the realisation that I what I was searching for had been under my nose all the time, came later. I guess you've noticed that I like to date younger men?"

Maddie nodded.

Helen Mitchell sighed. "On the face of it and to outsiders, I have an enviable life. The truth is; I'm always trying to find another Daniel, another bright spark of a boy to help me go back and correct a mistake I made. It's stupid behaviour, I know; endlessly repeating the same damn thing and expecting a different result. I've pretended for a long time that it didn't matter and pushed it aside, filling my life with work. The Solace Foundation, in a way, has been redemption; I can finally give something meaningful back to the city I love. But none of it makes up for the fact that your Dad was a pretty special guy and I fucked up big time." Her Mom stunned her by taking hold of her hand. "I'm sorry that my inability to deal with my own pain has made it worse for you.

"It's Peter Mitchell's 65th birthday on Sunday, you should go to that and say hi to his Mom and Dad for me. They're good people and maybe it's time I got back in touch."

"I've already said yes to going."

"Well perhaps I'll drop by too; they were kind enough to invite me, although heaven alone knows why they did. I've done nothing to deserve it."

"As you said, they're good people."

"Yes they are."

Just then Mr Hernadez' personal assistant called them into his office.

Helen looked at Maddie. "Now shall we address the subject of your grades?"

"I guess. Although I do need to warn you that I said 'fuck' to Mrs King."

Helen shrugged. "She deserved it. That was a really bad dress."

If there was one thing her Mom could do better than any person alive, it was to talk herself out of anything. She was a natural politician and Maddie reaped the benefit of her oratory skills. Helen explained to Mr Hernandez that this time of year was a very upsetting time for Maddie and coupled with the stresses and strains that her work schedule was placing on her (not mentioning her party schedule), Helen apologised for not being the diligent mother she should have been. Of course Maddie had to apologise to Mrs King, but nothing more was made of it and Maddie promised to read as much of the book over the weekend as she could – which would be about three paragraphs if everything went well.

Helen didn't go back to the office; she took the rare step of working from home and when Maddie returned from school that afternoon, she was fixing herself a gigantic cup of hot chocolate in the kitchen.

"Now this is what Friday afternoon is all about." Helen said as the rain started to lash down once again. "You know what? I'm going to curl up on the sofa with a book; I haven't done that in months. All I read is reports and bid details."

The mention of bid details reminded Maddie that she had two jobs to do before she could go to Justin's place tonight. She had to retrieve any new information from her Mom's computer and hand it over to Ben. The thought of Ben brought a lascivious smile to her face. It was Friday; this would be the perfect opportunity to invite him to a party. She was sure Justin wouldn't object and perhaps Justin wasn't on the menu for tonight, perhaps she could make a move on Ben?

About half an hour later she poked her head around the living room door just to see if her Mom actually was reading a book and stopped dead in her tracks. Her Mom was asleep. Maddie had never in seventeen years seen her Mom asleep in the daytime. Her Mom was up from the break of dawn until the wee small hours and Maddie didn't think she'd ever seen her so much as yawn. Admitting that she'd loved Maddie's Dad, falling asleep during the day; were these the first cracks appearing in the invincible Helen Mitchell? Maddie gazed at her Mom for a moment. What would she think if she told her what she was doing tomorrow? Would she want to see him and try and plead her case for him to take her back? But her Dad had a new wife and other children too. Suddenly the excitement of meeting him palled. She thought of the effortless way the Chambers family seemed to expand to include her and wondered if she would feel as included in her Dad's new family? Perhaps she wouldn't get on with her Dad's new wife – not that she got on much with the last one – but as her Dad's wife was a vampire, she might not want a snack walking around, or hanging out with her children. A prickling in the bridge of her nose warned of coming tears and she shook the upsetting thought from her head. No, she'd meet her Dad tomorrow but it was too soon to even think about meeting his family. He might not want her to anyway. Again she banished the negative thought. It wasn't like her to keep picking out all the things that could go wrong, she was a _jump in feet first_ person. Perhaps the fact that the last thing she'd jumped feet first into had turned out to be a barrel of vampires had finally made her understand, that behaving that way wasn't always in her best interests. Wasn't it called growing up?

The sleeping Helen did meant that one thing could be achieved easily enough and Maddie dashed to her Mom's study and logged into her account. There were four more received bids, including one from Peter Chambers. While she simply shunted copies of the others over to her stick she opened the one from her neighbour and looked at it. She glanced through the covering letter and found herself lingering on his name; the name of the elusive man, who she'd never seen and yet she felt so at home in his house. Now the bid was in, she hoped Stephanie was right and he would kick back and come out to meet her.

Maddie finished copying the information, deleted her trail and walked back up to her room, selecting Ben's number as she went.

"Hi, it's Maddie. I have more for you. Can I meet you tonight?"

"Sure." Said Ben. "How about meeting at Ghirardelli Square?"

"OK. Where?"

"Lori's Diner. I'm getting dinner there, you know that place?"

"Ah… no, but I'll find it."

"About seven?"

"Seven's fine." Said Maddie. She could get back and be over at Justin's for not long after eight, hopefully with Ben in tow.

It was shaping up to be a weekend to remember.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Animal Nightlife**

Maddie walked into the wall of sound and Justin's embrace. He pressed something gently into the palm of her hand and as she pulled away she glanced down at the small orange tablet stamped with a butterfly.

"I have my sources." He said, pupils betraying the fact that he'd taken something himself. Justin handed her the bottle of soda he was drinking from and it was the work of a moment to wash the pill down her own throat. "Later?" He asked.

"Maybe." She replied enigmatically but would not be drawn further. She was hoping that Ben would show up. He had something to do first he said, but if it didn't take too long he'd come over. She'd given him Justin's address and casually said it would be great to see him.

There was something about Ben and she couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was, but her every sense she had about him seemed to be on red alert. Not in the way it was with Edward, that frisson of pure fear was because he was a vampire and her subconscious was trying to alert her to that, whilst her head was having an _'ooh pretty boy'_ moment. Ben had all the excitement of Edward but without any of the danger.

Even though she barely knew Ben, she felt safe around him, in a way that only Jory could rival. But there was more. Ben seemed larger than life, as if he'd been drawn with a really thick bold outline. His features had an intensity to them that made her stare. His jawline was so strong that it was almost a map-able feature and his eyes almost commanded her attention. Once they held her gaze it was all she could to do rip it away. He'd been eating dinner when she arrived, making short work of a burger that left her feeling like he was tearing apart a wild animal with his teeth. He still wasn't as talkative as she wanted him to be, but she was hoping that that would change later.

Maddie moved through the crowded house, making her way down into the basement, where she discovered Angel secreted in a corner rummaging around in a big box. She re-emerged with a grin the size of the Grand Canyon and two naked G.I Joe action figures.

"Fun time!" She shouted over the music and Maddie snickered, knowing that Angel was every bit the toy terrorist as Sid was in one of their favourite childhood movies, _Toy Story_.

"What are you doing with those?" Maddie asked as Angel scoured the other shelves looking for bits to work with.

"Right now?" She said, pulling out a length of green fabric. "I'm thinking a remake of _Gone with the Wind _- the role reversal version. Wonder if he has a Barbie anywhere? I could do with a Rhett."

Maddie left her to it and wandered on, grabbing a drink as she passed an ice-stuffed beer cooler. Justin's parties were for the select crowd; those who knew that what happened here stayed here. The music was loud, but not loud enough to prompt complaints. There was beer, but not enough to get everyone wildly drunk; but there were his little pills. Discreet little party-makers, that for a few hours made the world a very happy and cheerful place. That was, until the morning after, when the world was usually a very flat and depressing place. But for Maddie, tomorrow was going to be the best day ever and tonight was her private celebration in anticipation of that.

As a familiar track started up and she decided to hit the space cleared for dancing and Maddie was oblivious to everyone around her, including the man who was observing her carefully through the small basement window, although she probably wouldn't have been thrilled to have seen her Dad at that moment. Maddie was more concerned that her hair didn't swish about her face anymore and as the pill started to act she gently drifed off into her own private, happy world. A world where her Dad was waiting for her with open arms, where there were no such things as vampires, sex dens, twenty-first century concentration camps or earthquake-ravaged cities. She relaxed into the gently growing buzz in her head, raised her hands to heaven and gently twirled to a rhythm that seemed to be emanating from somewhere behind her navel.

Maddie kept dancing to release her head from stress, Angel was dancing with one of the G I Joe dolls and from the sidelines, a newly-arrived Jory chuckled at the pair of them. Maddie spied him and gently undulated her way through the other people to get to him.

"Come and dance." She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him. She couldn't move him. She pulled harder and Jory still didn't move.

He shook his head. "Not my thing." He replied. "You dance, I'll make sure you don't fall over."

"I won't fall over."

"No?

"No." Everything in Maddie's world was coated in euphoria and she had no intention of doing anything to break the spell. She moved back out into the group of dancers and allowed herself to get caught up, letting nothing concern her other than moving to the beat of the music. She was free, and all the concerns that kept her earthbound had been removed. A picture of the happy smiling man she would be seeing tomorrow surfaced in her head and she hugged herself in anticipation of getting that hug in the flesh, so to speak. She had eleven years of bottled-up love to release all over her Dad and she wanted him to know that she was fine with him being a vampire, species was irrelevant. Tonight her doubts about the situation could not get a look-in and it was impossible to keep the smile off her face. Thoughts of her Dad were making Maddie a very happy girl.

Justin snaked his arms around her and put his lips to Maddie's ear. "You want?"

Maddie looked at him. What did she want? She couldn't remember and she didn't care, she was happy in Maddie-land. She shook her head; all she wanted to do was dance.

Justin smiled. "But you promised…" He levied back.

Maddie pulled a face at that. She didn't remember making promises about anything.

"Come, get a drink." He said. Maddie could agree to that, she was thirsty. Justin took her hand and pulled her through their friends and out of the basement into the rest of the house. Justin headed towards the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out sodas. He took the top off one and handed it to Maddie. She drank down the contents as fast as she could, releasing a satisfying belch and leaned against the counter, chuckling contentedly.

"What are you smiling at?" Justin asked. There were only few people up here.

"Nothing in particular, just… everything." She replied.

"Perhaps we could celebrate that."

"Yeah, we should. This is a great party. It's going to be a great weekend, an _epic _weekend."

"Oh? And what's going to be epic about it?"

"Stuff." She grinned.

"Do I figure in that epic-ness?"

Did Justin figure in it? No, but that would hurt his feelings. "Yes." She replied.

"Great. I think we should celebrate your epic weekend right now." He pulled her away from the counter and out into the hallway. At the foot of the stairs Maddie stopped.

"Where are we going?" She asked, she wanted to go back to the dancing, she wanted to celebrate by dancing.

"Upstairs. Come on Mads, you and me, we do this, you know?"

Maddie shook her head. No she didn't want to. Her head suddenly presented an image to her of a very angry father. A very angry _vampire_ father; and that thought alone was enough for her to know that she didn't want to go upstairs with Justin. She walked away. "No, I wanna dance."

Justin chuckled and pulled her back. "Dance with me first."

"No. I don't want to." Maddie pulled away again. "Later." She called over her shoulder and headed back to the basement.

Jory seemed to be waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and for some spontaneous reason that she couldn't elucidate, Maddie threw her arms around him and pressed herself against him. She shuddered against an unpleasant thought that had disturbed her mental Eden. But Jory's arms wrapping around her did their stuff, soothing, protecting and reassuring her. God, did this guy have magical powers or something? She was wired and happy, but little mental niggles were setting up. Justin was coming on to her in a way that wasn't part of the arrangement. It was supposed to be casual, consensual and Maddie realised that he was pressing her for something she didn't want to give, not to him at least. To Ben, well that would be a different proposition and face still buried in Jory's shirt she grinned, hoping that Ben's thing would be done soon and than he would come on over. The other niggle was about tomorrow. It hadn't bothered her at first, but now it was coming back again in her head. Maddie was worrying about what her Dad's other family would think of her. For some reason, and perhaps she was getting _Harry Potter_ and real life mixed up, but what if vampires didn't like humans? What if his other children had a hard time accepting her, a full human into a world where they were all immortal and beautiful? She'd just drag them down. She pressed herself harder to Jory and he seemed to know she wasn't great, because he tightened his grip on her.

"Are you two together?" Asked someone and Maddie lifted her oddly heavy head off Jory to see Marla Goldberg stood beside them.

Maddie closed one eye, her head was starting to ache and Marla wasn't exactly in focus. "No." She replied truthfully. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Marla replied and walked away with a grin on her face.

Maddie looked up at Jory. "I hope to God she's not your type."

Jory smiled at her. "I can safely assure you that she isn't."

Maddie perked up at that, but she had difficulty getting her head off Jory, all she suddenly wanted to do was sleep. "What is your type? Why the big secret?"

"I haven't found the right girl yet."

"But it's definitely a girl, because you know I'm cool if you love boys."

"No, it's definitely a girl."

"So she's not in Alaska?"

"No, there's nobody in Alaska."

"But she's not me?"

"She's not you, no."

"Why not?" Maddie pressed.

Jory shook his head and chuckled. He bent down and his hot lips gently made contact with her forehead. "Just… wait a little longer, give me time. I just moved here, I just met you and suddenly you want to know everything about me."

"All I want to know is why you don't find me attractive, but yet you're quite happy to hold me like this. It's confusing… Just tell me." A thought occurred to her then. "Oh! Do you like older women, is that it?"

Jory's eyes flashed wide and a grin split his face. "Yes! I'm not interested unless they're at least ten years older than me."

"Have you met my…"

"Not _that _old!" Jory cut her off and the pair of them giggled like idiots. Maddie renewed her grip on him, thrilled that she finally knew his secret. She realised she needed the bathroom.

"I'll be back in a minute." She said to Jory, pushing herself off him and making her way slowly back up the stairs into the main part of the house. She meandered her way slowly up the stairs, found the bathroom and locked the door behind her. A little shiver went down her spine as she thought of Justin earlier. She pulled out her Sirius and tapped a quick message to Ben to see if her luck was in tonight. Jory had made her feel much brighter, but she was unbelievably tired. She didn't remember feeling this way so early before; usually she had a good few hours of being high before the fatigue set in. She did what she needed to do and her phone beeped with a message. She checked it; it was Ben saying that he was on his way. She tried to smile but her facial muscles didn't seem to want to move. Maddie moved with glacial slowness trying to zip her jeans, flush and wash her hands. Someone banged on the bathroom door.

"OK, gimme a moment!" She called, struggling now to remain awake. She made her way back to the door, unlocked it, pulled it open and passed out where she stood.

A commotion brought her round a little. There was a shout, a pulling, a splintering of wood and a release of pressure. Then there was more shouting and through a mental fug, Maddie tried to surface. Something soft landed on her, a quilt perhaps; while all around her were the sounds of arguing. The voices were familiar but Maddie couldn't think clearly enough to link the voices to names. There was a thwack and a sound of something heavy falling to the floor.

"Maddie!" Someone called urgently. "Wake up. Maddie!"

Maddie tried to move but couldn't seem to. The warm covering was pulled off her and there was more tugging and a tightening around her stomach.

"Maddie I'm going to take you home now." Said the voice again. He sounded urgent. This time a connection in her brain fired. Jory, this was Jory's voice. She felt herself being lifted and set on her feet. His arm went securely around her and she found herself walking forward but she couldn't get her eyes open to see where she was going.

"What the hell happened?" Came a low angry voice. It was followed by what sounded like deep growling.

"He didn't manage it, fortunately. Too wasted."

"What's her mother going to do?" The angry voice said.

"It's not what her _mother_ will do that I'm worried about." Said Jory.

"Yeah. Let's get her out of here. What about him? Is there blood?"

"No, I didn't hit him that hard."

Maddie tried to say 'no hitting', but all that came out was a burble of sound.

"Shit, what's he given her, Rohypnol?"

"I don't know." Said Jory. "If not that, then something very like it." He sounded angry. "I gotta go. Can you deal with this?"

"Yeah. You know he's outside, right?"

"I know. He's going to go insane! He's already been here once tonight, that's why I'm here. I didn't know she was coming to this party…"

Maddie understood on some level that Jory and another guy were talking about her but nothing was making sense. She was so unbelievably tired and all she wanted to do was sleep; so Maddie fell asleep right where she stood.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Meeting Dad**

"Maddie. Wake up sweetheart, I brought you some coffee."

Maddie opened her eyes. Stephanie Chambers was placing a cup of coffee on the bedside table. Maddie looked around; she was unexpectedly in the spare bedroom of the Chambers' house. She tried to lift her head from the pillow but it felt as if someone had filled it with concrete, it was incredibly heavy.

"Ow." she squeaked and relaxed back into the pillows.

The only light into the room was coming from outside, the door was ajar and most of the room was still dark. Stephanie knelt down by the side of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Maddie admitted in a whisper.

"You took something last night didn't you?"

Maddie nodded.

"It was very strong. You don't remember us bringing you home?"

Maddie gently shook her head.

"Somebody tried to take advantage of you. But thankfully Jory realised you were missing and got to you right before something unpleasant happened."

"Justin." Maddie said.

"Did you give your consent?" Stephanie asked, gently.

Maddie shook her head.

"I'm afraid Jory punched him."

"Good." Maddie smiled.

Stephanie did too. "Drink your coffee. I'm afraid to say that your Mom's on the warpath."

"Oh no, why?"

"You're here, you're not across the road. I took the decision that you wouldn't want to face your Mom in the state you were in, so we put you to bed here. I don't think it's gone down too well with your Mom."

"I guess not."

"I think she thinks there's something going on between you and Jory."

Maddie scoffed. "I'll sort her out."

"She'll be over in about thirty minutes."

"OK. What time is it?"

"Nine thirty."

"What? _Fuck!_" Maddie was due at the Mark Hopkins in half an hour. She leapt out of bed, overbalanced and grabbed the windowsill.

"What's the matter?"

"I have an appointment with someone at ten, at the _Mark Hopkins_. Damn! I was hoping just to slip out and say I was going shopping. Now she'll want the forensics from last night! Shit, shit, _shit!_" Today of all days, the day when she was going to meet her Dad and she'd fucked it up by taking one of Justin's pills.

"Look, it's not a problem. I'm taking Jory and Kate out for brunch while Peter gets on with some work, why don't I just drop you at the hotel?

"That would be great, but… my Mom…?"

"How about you call and tell her that you're coming too and that you'll see her later."

It was a sensible suggestion, but that still didn't solve the problem that she looked a mess and she hadn't got the outfit she was planning to wear to meet her Dad in. Her shoulders sagged. "I need clean clothes." And then she thought of her twice-daily shower routine. "And a shower."

"OK, well, run across the street now, get washed and dressed as quickly as you can and head back when you're ready. We'll wait for you."

"OK! Thanks."

Stephanie left the room and Maddie yanked on her clothes and took a massive slurp of coffee. Trying to ignore her pounding head, she ran downstairs, out of the door, across the street, into her house and was halfway up the stairs there before she called out "Hi Mom, I'm home!" Maddie was stripping off in her bathroom when her Mom appeared, looking immaculate.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Mom, you know where I've been, over at Jory's. Excuse me, I need to have a shower, Stephanie's taking Jory, Kate and me out for brunch."

"Oh she is, is she, and why is Stephanie Chambers suddenly acting like your Mom?"

"She's not; she just invited me out for brunch." Maddie hid behind the bathroom door and pulled off the last of her clothes.

"I don't trust her."

"Why not? She's lovely."

"She seems too perfect."

"Perfect? Have you seen their house compared to ours? They have stuff everywhere, it would drive you insane." Maddie loved that the Chambers' family had stuff everywhere.

"Bet she's a better Mom than me."

"Jory and Kate aren't her kids, she's their Stepmom."

"Oh? I didn't know that."

"Their Mom died when Kate was a baby. It's one of the reasons I get on with Jory so well. He knows how it feels. Now, can I get a shower or I'll make them late?"

Her Mom left and Maddie whizzed through her morning ablutions and dressed in the clothes she had picked out. It wasn't anything special, just smarter black combat pants and a white jersey top. She'd shined her shoes and added a little spray of the white label perfume. She wore no jewellery apart from a watch and took nothing with her other than a small purse which she wore across her body, mainly to hold her wallet, keys and her Sirius. And Kleenex; Maddie was half way down the stairs when she realised that today might be an emotional day and bolted back into her bedroom to grab some tissues from the box.

The ride downtown was straightforward enough, but she texted Edward to let him know that she was running a little late. It was just approaching ten minutes past ten when Stephanie dropped her off outside the hotel. It was starting to rain heavily and she darted inside, making her way straight over to the elevators. Once in she pressed the button for the 18th floor and tried to quieten her jackhammer heart, which she was convinced everyone on the planet could hear. It certainly seemed to have alarmed Kate, who had stared at her with fear on the drive over. Maddie had been trying to take big breaths to calm herself and perhaps it looked to Kate like she was going to hurl. The ride in the empty elevator did nothing to help and she stumbled out at the 18th floor and over to Edward's door.

Maddie knocked on the door and was a little shocked to see Edward dressed casually in faded brown jeans and an untucked cream shirt. He looked every bit your regular teen. That was until you noticed his unusual eyes, his very pale skin and a face that looked almost inhumanly beautiful. He looked like a CGI version of a man.

"Come in. Have you had breakfast?"

Maddie shook her head. "My stomach isn't exactly reliable this morning. I'd better not."

"OK. You'd better sit down; I have some things to say before I take you over to see your father."

Maddie sat down on the sofa and looked expectantly at him.

"Tell me how this all happened for you?" He asked.

"I always post on the San Francisco missing person's forum every year around my birthday. This year, a woman called Dionne contacted me and told me that she had information about my Dad. She gave me personal information about me, something that only Dad would remember. I agreed to meet her and it was there that she told me what she was and what my Dad had been changed into. The guy who did it? He's called Diego, and he's looking for my Dad because he wants his expertise with computers. Also, he was Diego's favourite and… you stole him."

"Daniel walked out of that coven of his own free will, something any vampire is entitled to do, but they don't know it. Diego controls that coven by fear; Veronica through artifice, but neither one of them can force any vampire to stay. I gave your father the chance to leave; firstly because he tried to help my daughter and secondly, the whole time I was in proximity to him all I could see in his head was you. You were the only thing he could think about. I know you appreciate why he's never been in touch?"

"Yes, Dionne said it would be difficult to be around humans. She didn't know how he'd be now. She didn't know if eleven years was long enough?"

"It is. Our decision to consume only animal blood calms us down in ways that means it's much easier for us to integrate with humans. Your Dad will be OK around you."

Maddie's face broke into an involuntary smile.

"So that's all you know?"

"Ah… no." She paused.

"Go on."

"While I was talking to Dionne this Diego came over and I ended up in the… place that they use on Avery Street. As if it wasn't weird enough, I met this vampire there who knew me and who wanted to meet me because they're opening a Solace Center in the city and this group of vampires wants to stop it."

"I know. Maddie, I am part of that group of vampires and it comprises the entire Cullen family, including your father and his family. Once we realised that you and your mother were going to be drawn into this thing, Jasper was supposed to meet you in a neutral place, far away from Diego's place on Avery Street. Please, never admit to your father that you know who Diego is, or that you have been there, or met Dionne. It would upset him a great deal to know that you had been anywhere near that hellhole. That was a very emotionally painful time of his life and he did not willingly come back to San Francisco. He's only here because this involves you. He made us promise faithfully that no harm would come to you. Sadly, we didn't anticipate Dionne being the one to tell you that he was still alive. Originally, the plan was to come in, take down the Solace Foundation and leave without you any the wiser as to who or what was behind it. Dionne's intervention has meant that your father has had to think long and hard about whether to allow you to contact him. Not because he didn't want to, but because of the world it opens you up to. Our world. Jasper would only give you my contact details when Daniel said yes to this going ahead." Edward sat forward. "I'm sorry that we have told you untruths, but we have only gone as fast as your father will allow and if it had been down to him you would not have been involved at all. He didn't want you in any danger. Both Veronica and Diego are lethal…"

"What about you?" Maddie asked. "You're a vampire, aren't you lethal?"

"I am, but only to enemies of my family. You are Daniel's daughter, Daniel is my adopted son; therefore, like it or not, you're part of the Cullen family and we look after and protect our family."

"So do I stop reporting to Ben now?"

Edward smiled. "No, I'm not going to stop that particular pleasure in your life, we still need that information."

Maddie blushed; obviously her fondness for him was a little evident.

"Ben's just a regular human, right?"

"No. Ben is a hybrid, like my daughter. Half vampire, half human. He's the son of my daughter's best friend."

"Oh." Maddie suddenly thought back to last night and the plans she would have had for Ben had he made an appearance.

Edward seemed to be in pain. "Hmm…"

"Is that… is that… even possible?" Maddie asked.

"That's not really something I'd like to get into at this exact moment in time; but, starting a little more slowly, dating a hybrid? Sure, if you and Ben are attracted to each other, then none of us are going to stop you. Although you might want to check that out with your Dad and Ben's parent's first."

"Oh, OK. Why?"

"No particular reason, just old-fashioned courtesy. Many of us come from a time when you would ask for permission to date. We keep it going. You should ask Ben's parents if it's OK."  
"And his Dad's a vampire?"

"His Mum is too. Jess is um… well, I'll let you meet her. Ben's Dad you know."

"Huh?"

"Well, not so much _know_, as heard of." Edward seemed to have a glint in his eye. He seemed very amused. "It's Will Randall."

Maddie felt herself going scarlet. "_Oh my god."_ She said quickly under her breath. She was imagining Ben as Will in the books. Oh _awkward!_

Edward chuckled. "It's OK. Your secret is safe with Jasper and myself."

Maddie fanned her cheeks to cool them down.

"You can meet the rest of the family in time, but shall we start with your Dad?"

"OK." Maddie was suddenly overwhelmed and shy. "I got a ride over here, I don't have my car."

"That's just fine, I have mine. Shall we go?"

Maddie and Edward took the more conventional route down to the lobby this time. They waited a couple of minutes until a large black saloon Volvo was brought around.

"I can't get over that you own Volvo." Said Maddie quietly. "You're a… thing, how did that happen?"

Edward flashed a smile. "I'm a _thing?_" He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Just the normal way. I bought enough shares until I had a controlling stake."

"Yeah, but like that's insane amounts of money, how did you get that much?"

The valet handed the key to Edward and he opened the passenger door for Maddie. She got in. Edward closed her door, walked around and got in the driver's side.

"I work, I have various business interests and I invest with the help of Alice."

"Alice? As in Jasper's wife?"

"Yes." Edward started the whisper quiet fuel cell engine. "She can predict the stock market."

"Woah."

"I know. It's a skill many bankers would kill for. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

They exited the hotel and Edward made his way west down California Street. As he drove Maddie thought again about the worries that had plagued her. Not so much whether she and her Dad would get on, but his two other children and his wife. What would they think about this strange human girl?

Edward looked at her. "You'll love them and they'll love you. There will be no wicked Stepmother."

"Why don't you tell me her name?"

"Just give me a moment."

Edward turned right onto Arguello and then a few moments later, turned left into Presidio Terrace.

"Holy _Shit!_" Said Maddie as a huge missing piece of the puzzle clunked into place. She started to hyperventilate, as they made the circuit of the one way system. She knew where they would stop and who would be there at the end of it. Edward pulled the car onto the Chambers' drive and switched off the engine.

"He said it was ironic that this house was available."

"He used to sit on the roof and watch my window." Maddie whispered.

"He still does that."

"He was always busy." She smiled.

"He was always hiding, until now. Are you ready?"

"Jory and Kate are out."

"Yes. Stephanie has something to tell Kate. She is not going to be happy about having been kept in the dark. I am aware that my ear is going to be very flea bitten by the end of today. Kate is beautiful and exuberant but she is completely and utterly hopeless at keeping secrets. All this would have been out on day one, if Kate had known exactly who you were. Jory's known a few weeks, it was important that he knew who you were because…"

"If I hit on him it'd be awkward."

"Yes."

"So he really is my big brother?"

"No, he's your little brother. He's seven remember?"

"Seven?" Maddie queried.

"Yes. Look, your Dad is going quietly insane on the other side of this wall, waiting for you. Eleven years is a long time, so let's not keep him waiting any longer.

"My Mom's across the street."

"I know. We're going round the back."

They hurried through the still pouring rain around the house to the back door. Edward turned the handle, it was open and Maddie went through into the familiarity of the Chambers' utility room. "Go through." Edward said. Maddie walked out into the family room, which looked exactly the same as it had done when she'd left it just over an hour ago. The room was silent and empty.

"Peter is Grampa's name." Maddie said, apropos of nothing.

"Yes. And Chambers is Stephanie's maiden name, but you weren't to know that. Do you want to go through? You know where he'll be. There's no rush, take your time."

Maddie pulled her bag over her head and took off her coat, draping them both over the back of the sofa. She smoothed down her top, ran her fingers through her hair and walked the few steps through to the living room. There, on the left hand side of the room was the door into what she thought was Peter Chambers' office, but in reality her Dad had been here all the time. Every last step felt like an effort until finally, she reached out and gently pushed open the office door.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Father and Daughter**

He was walking around the desk and stopped when he saw her. He was exactly like the photograph and she was grateful of the opportunity Edward had provided, to prepare herself for the changes in him. He did look different; but despite the definition, the pale skin and eyes that were the same colour as Edward's now, he was still intrinsically her Daddy. She stared at him and her mouth dropped open, mouthing words that didn't appear. Daniel moved closer and raised his hand towards her. Hesitantly she mirrored it. She was shaking, as fingers closed the gaps of both inches and eleven years to interlock with one another. She knew what she would feel: cold solidity. He grasped her hand a little more firmly and reached out for her with the other one. She ignored it and threw her arm around his waist, cannoning into six foot three of solid vampire. Her face came to rest against thin shirt fabric and she could feel the cold of him through it. Equally cold arms gently wrapped themselves around her and in spite of her head screaming danger at her; she felt a security that she had not known in over a decade. She was being hugged by an iceberg and she felt anchored, safe and _home._

She clung on, for what felt like hours, an odd state of both non-belief and celebration in her head. She couldn't look up at him; she was struggling to process the overwhelming emotions and he simply held her. Eventually, she felt the brief cold pressure of his lips on her head and then his hand stroked her hair, exactly like he used to do at bedtime. That was her undoing and the tears started to flow freely, as did her nose. She sniffed loudly and a handful of Kleenex appeared. She took them from him. "Thank you." She managed to squeak and dropped her arms to wipe her nose. There were several minutes of indistinct whispered words on both sides. Maddie couldn't say much beyond 'I've missed you' and her Dad didn't seem to be finding it easy to speak either. She finally turned her face to sneak a look at him and was overcome again. Daniel looked like he might cry himself, but there were no tears on his face.

"I wish I could cry with you." He said. "I'd cry with joy right now."

The oddity of that startled her. "You can't cry?"

He shook his head and ran a cold finger over her left eyebrow before placing his hand against her face. The feel of it was not a shock.

"Jasper told me how you'd feel." She said, placing her own warm hand over his.

"I'm grateful to them for preparing you. The last thing I would ever want would be for you to be repulsed by me."

Repulsed by him? Oh no! Well perhaps… In one way she would. Many a time over the last few days she'd fantasised that they could share a joke together. Humour had been somewhat lacking in her life. Now was the time to check whether his sense of humour was still intact.

"I don't care what you are or what you feel like; you're my Daddy and I love you." She narrowed her eyes and peered at him. "But if you turn out to have EDS you are _so_ dumped."

The corners of Daniel's mouth twitched and turned up; he snickered and pulled Maddie to him, cupping her face and tilting her head back in his hands. "EDS? Embarrassing Dad Syndrome?" His face fell; he dropped his hands and looked seriously at her. "You should go right now, I have it bad and it's incurable."

She thought for a moment. "So how do… um… Jory and Kate deal with your condition?" She asked in equal seriousness.

"Well, they have a number of strategies based on how bad it's manifesting. It's a combination of ridicule, heckling, fighting, through to outright ignoring me and hoping I'll go away."

"And do they feel that your condition is successfully managed?"

"For the most part, yes; but it's a _really _bad case, I've had it for seventeen years."

"Hmm… yeah… There was the incident with the cotton candy, that is kinda seared on my brain."

He looked sad. "A lot of memories get erased in the transition. That's one of them. You'll have to remind me. How bad was it, on a scale of one to ten?"

"Twenty four, I was _covered_ in the stuff, Dad!"

A laugh from Edward told Daniel that he could see the image in Maddie's head of a windy day, a fairground and a five year old getting in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Maddie leaned forward, gesturing with her thumb to the door. "Does that happen a lot, the… reading minds thing?" She whispered.

"He can hear, you know?" Daniel grinned. "Yes, if you're in range, he can hear every thought." Daniel seemed to take some perverse glee in this.

"And Edward tells you everything Jory and Kate think?"

"No."

"So he wouldn't tell you about… what I think?"

"Not usually, unless you're thinking of doing something stupid. Edward usually screens us out. Although…Kate has told me that you fancy Will. Stephanie did warn you not to tell her any secrets."

Maddie was appalled and went scarlet. "Oh my _God._"

"I can't wait until you meet him." Daniel chuckled.

"Exactly how many people know that?"

"Well, ah… Let's see. Me, Stephanie, Jory and Kate. Edward, Bella, Ness, Jake, Sarah, EJ, Billy Junior and Izzy. Charlie and Heather, I don't think Kael knows yet, but he will, so that's fifteen."

"And Jasper." Maddie added weakly.

"Sixteen. Alice, of course; seventeen. Whatever Alice knows Rose will know and whatever Rose knows she'll share with Emmett. I'm sure Kate will have spoken to Carlisle and Esmé this week, so that's twenty one."

"Oh…" Maddie felt weak.

"Jane, twenty two. Dan, twenty three and their girls Sophie and Anyu, which brings the count to twenty five."

Maddie gave a squeak of horror.

"Oh and Ben, twenty six – that was a shock to him."

Maddie visibly paled.

"As Stephanie said, don't tell Kate _anything._" He grinned. "She talks to _everybody_, all the time. Kate knows and the entire family knows. The only reason that Jess and Will don't know is that they're on vacation in the UK. But they'll be back soon, so it's only a matter of time."

"I'll kill Kate." She grumbled.

"Probably not before she kills me, for not telling her that you're her sister. She'll be livid when she returns. But she wouldn't have been able to stop herself and she'd have blown our cover before all the pieces were in place."

"Edward said that I'm like her."

Daniel sat down on the edge of his desk. "Kate is so much like you when you were little; you had so much energy, so much enthusiasm and were a total chatterbox. Obviously, that was before… all this. But now I see a beautiful grown woman and I am _so _proud of you. Seventeen huh?"

"I know. Hey, thanks for the birthday cake, it was the _best!"_ Maddie grinned.

"I'm glad you liked it. It was all I could do. Your birthday was a tough day for me. I struggled so hard not to give in and tell you that I was here."

Maddie looked at her Dad and then carefully leant forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, regardless of… everything. You're alive and to me, that's the main thing."

"That we can even be in the same room together is all thanks to Edward." Said Daniel.

"You don't want to…?"

"Maddie, I will always want human blood. But Edward and the other members of our family have showed me how it's possible to live without it, and to be able to live a life around humans. But it's a moment-by-moment choice I make to live like this, although it's easier around you."

"Why?"

"Because I love you so much. I couldn't bear to hurt you. It was the same when Stephanie was human; it was easier to be around her than other humans because I loved her."

"She's been working in a school, as a teacher. And nobody guessed?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. Explain away her need for an enclosed classroom as Photo-dermatitis and nobody queries it. It's been hard for her, though; she's still pretty new to this."

"And she's Jory and Kate's real Mom?"

"Yes. Jory was an easy pregnancy, but Kate kicked her apart and it was touch and go towards the end. Stephanie was exhausted and sustaining massive internal damage; so we took the decision to deliver Kate early and Stephanie went through with the transition." Her Dad ran his fingers through his hair. Maddie recognised the same reaction to stress that she had.

"Edward said they were seven and nearly five." She questioned. They looked way older than that.

"They are seven and nearly five. Hybrids grow three times faster than human children. Wanna see some photos?"

Maddie nodded and followed her Dad back into the family room. Edward was sat at the central unit in the kitchen area, reading. He closed the book and stood up.

"If everything's fine, I'll head off." He said. "I'm sure you two have a great deal to catch up on. Maddie, are you OK?"

"Yes, thank you. Thank you for everything."

"You're very welcome. I'm only sorry that it took us until now to enable this to happen; but there's never an easy way to explain what we are. Please take things easy. Daniel and Stephanie both know their limits, what they can and cannot do. Please don't take it personally if they retreat from you. There are times when a vampire needs space."

Maddie nodded.

"Have a great time. Talk, _a lot,_ because you won't get a word in edgeways when Kate gets back." Edward and Daniel chuckled.

"I like her, she's fun." Maddie said.

"She is, but hell hath no fury like Kate when she's kept out of the picture. Right, Daniel?"

"Right."

Edward took his leave. Daniel grabbed a computer tablet and Maddie and he sat together on the sofa. Maddie automatically found herself leaning up against him. Daniel pulled away and dragged a throw off the back of the sofa. He placed the thick pad of material between them.

"You'll get cold very quickly if you lean against me." Daniel put his arm around his daughter and tapped the pad into life, calling up the photo library and entering a passkey. "Over the last few years I've made a point of being in San Francisco around your birthday, hoping to catch a glimpse of you. Most years I've managed to. I hope you don't mind, but I snapped some pictures, for me and so that I could show you to Stephanie and later Jory. Kate has never seen these. It was obvious as soon as she could speak that she pretty much said everything she thought. We've had to keep a lot from her."

"What about the things she has to keep secret, like what she is?"

"Thankfully she does understand the vampire, human thing; although some of the subtleties escape her." Daniel tapped the album and a picture of Maddie, aged ten and lying in a hospital bed appeared. She was covered in tubes. "You know when that was?"

"Yes. I felt you there! I told Margaret about it. She said you must have been an angel."

Daniel rubbed his hand up and down Maddie's arm. "No, not an angel; just a guy going through the second worst seventy two hours of his life. I'm sure what you can guess what the worst seventy two were?"

Maddie nodded.

"No lasting effects from the meningitis?"

"No. I was fortunate that we live so close to the Children's Hospital. Getting the antibiotics in early made all the difference. They told me I was lucky. How did you know I was ill?"

"I have more things to admit to you. When I became part of the Cullen family, you also came under their protection. You probably didn't think anything of it, but one day when you were nine you met Alice, very briefly. Alice can tell the future and that little meeting enabled her know you and to know what would happen to you based on your decisions or those of other people that affected you. She called me the second she saw where your illness was going. Edward came with me and we drove down here. I couldn't do anything other than wait for the meds to work, but getting to be with you for the first time in over four years was incredibly healing. I'm so glad the Doctors took Margaret seriously."

Maddie looked at him. "Well of course they would, she went into full-on banshee mode."

"Did she?"

"Yeah. I remember nothing much from then on I was too ill, but I do remember her screaming the ER down."

Daniel snickered. "Good for her."

Maddie and Daniel sat and talked over each one of the pictures that he'd managed to take over the last few years. He told her about the life he'd made with the Cullen family and how he'd met Stephanie. Maddie in return told him about a girl who had had, by necessity, become extremely resilient and self-reliant. At points the conversation paused and he held her whilst tears flowed.

Maddie looked at the other photo albums on the screen. "Do you have pictures of Jory and Kate when they were little?"

"Of course!"

"Do vampires take embarrassing pictures of their kids and drag them out on their sixteenth birthdays?"

"Yes, although in our case it was Jory's sixth." Daniel tapped a folder and a picture of Stephanie and a very newborn Jory fast asleep in her arms filled the screen.

Maddie couldn't help but look at Stephanie in her pre-vampire state. Her face looked soft and rounded in a way that it didn't now. "The change makes you more defined somehow." She said.

"Yes, although Stephanie lost a lot of weight whilst she was carrying Kate; so how slender she is now is due to that, not what becoming a vampire did to her body."

"She's very beautiful and incredibly lovely, I can see why you married her. I can never work out why you married Mom."

"The truth? I did it because I realised very quickly that I was a means to an end. By marrying Helen I got what I wanted, which was to be with you. I hung on as long as I could when it ended. But, as you know, she has lawyers and when she wants something gone, it's gone."

"You only married her because of me?"

"Yes, I'm somewhat devoted to my children. God knows why, the amount of grief they give me." He smiled wryly.

"I'm no trouble."

"Really? And last night was what? Sensible behaviour?"

"Oh." He must have seen the state she'd been in last night.

"Did your Mom never talk to you about the dangers of drugs?"

"No. She doesn't think the people I hang with do that kind of thing. And most of them don't, but Justin does."

"And he is?"

"A… sorta… boyfriend."

"Oh."

"We have…"

"I guessed that, seeing as he was pressuring you last night."

Maddie's brain furrowed. "Huh? We're you there?"

"Around, yes, before Jory got there."

Maddie wasn't entirely sure she liked the sound of this. "We're you checking up on me?"

"Maddie, I'm worried about you. I don't know anything about your friends or what you do, and because Jory wasn't there I got a little unsure of things. I just wanted to make sure you were OK."

"Guess it lends new meaning to the phrase 'my Dad will rip your head off.'"

Daniel's expression turned murderous in an instant. "Oh I would. Believe me; I would not hesitate to kill when it comes to the safety of any of my children."

A shudder went through her. "Are you serious?"

Daniel stroked her hair. "Absolutely. You are _so _precious to me."

On one hand it was reassuring, but on the other it reminded her that as far as being in her Dad's world went, she wasn't in Kansas anymore.

Her Dad made her some lunch and they talked their way through more photographs of Jory and Kate, when the sound of a car pulling onto the driveway made her ears prick up.

"They're back." Daniel said. There was the sound of a car door being slammed and a series of loud stomps. _"Uh oh."_ He said, just before the front door was thrown open.

A very red-faced Kate marched into the family room. She had been crying and she glared at her father. She stood there for a moment and gave a loud snotty sniff. Kate wiped her nose on the back of her hand and Maddie couldn't imagine anything less vampire.

"I'm sorry." Daniel said, walking over to his daughter. "You would have been so excited, and…"

"I know! Mom's said all that." Kate snapped. "S'not fair, Jory got to know."

Behind Kate, Jory and Stephanie came in. Stephanie gave Maddie a smile and went to stand behind Kate. She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Kate, you're angry and upset and that's understandable. We didn't tell you about Maddie for just shy of five years. But Maddie has been in the dark about her Dad for eleven. She hasn't seen him since she was six and she could be very angry with us for not telling her sooner. Maddie are you upset that we didn't tell you sooner?"

"No, I understand why you couldn't."

Stephanie wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her back into a hug. "Why don't you go say a proper hello to Maddie? This hasn't been an easy thing for Dad, for Jory, for me or for Maddie, least of all. You're nearly five; you need to accept that sometimes secrets are kept for good reason. And I'm sure Maddie isn't going to thank you for blabbing her comment about Will."

"Oh yeah, thanks for _that_." Maddie's comment dripped good-natured sarcasm. The twinkle in her eye cut through her little sister's vexation and Kate gave a reluctant smile.

"Mom said we're a lot like each other, in how we look and our personalities," said Kate. The two girls certainly shared their father's facial shape and both their Moms had been in possession of straight brown hair, which Kate wore in a similar style to Stephanie's, a style Maddie herself had had before she'd cut it short. "I think Jory must belong to someone else, he's a freak."

"I can assure you that your brother is made from the same DNA." Stephanie called as she went into the kitchen area.

"I still think you need to ask for the receipt." Kate glared as Jory walked past her. Jory gave his Dad a brief one-armed hug and then stood in front of Maddie.

"Welcome to the family." He said.

"Thanks."

Jory gave his sister a long fierce hug and when Maddie and he pulled apart Kate was wrapped in Daniel's arms, her eyes reddening again.

Maddie opened her arms. "Could I have a hug from my little sister?"

The force of it knocked Maddie clean to the floor.

It had been a fabulous afternoon at the Mitchell-Cullens', a name Maddie now knew she was entitled to use if she wished. She'd talked and eaten and laughed so much that her abdominal muscles hurt. Now she was finishing her extra-careful bedtime routine, erasing all scent of her new vampire and half vampire family. Tomorrow would be an equally momentous day as Jory and Kate were going to go with her down to Menlo Park, to meet their grandparents. Maddie had called them this afternoon and asked if it was OK if her friends could come over too. Her Gran was thrilled and had no clue that her voice was on speakerphone in her son's house. Stephanie had wrapped her arms around her husband whilst they listened to Barbara Mitchell get excited that Maddie was coming over. Her Gran told her to bring everyone because there was enough food to feed an army. Across the dining table, Stephanie rested her head on Daniel's shoulder and Daniel put his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, but not before Maddie saw his face crumple. The sight of her Dad losing it made Maddie lose it too and she'd only just managed to hold it together.

She finished cleaning her teeth and went back into her bedroom. There was a knock at her door. Nobody ever knocked on her bedroom door. She went over and opened it. It was her Dad.

"I think we have unfinished business." He said.

Maddie smiled and let him in.

She plumped up her pillows, Daniel pulled off his shoes and sat on the bed next to her. Maddie threw a blanket over his shoulder and nestled up against it. Her Dad reached over to the bedside table and picked up _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_. He opened it at the bookmark.

"Where were we?" He said softly.

Maddie pointed to the sentence on the page.

"Can you remember what happened in the story before?"

"Yes, I've read it again up to that point. I just can't get past it."

"OK. Now, something's missing."

"Bottom drawer."

Her Dad leaned over and pulled Ruby out of the drawer. He looked at the old, slightly sad-looking teddy bear. "She could do with a wash." He said.

"Now you're here I can. She was the only thing that used to smell of you. You smell different now."

"Better?"

Maddie wrinkled her nose. "It's strong."

"Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Sure."

"Do you find Jory's scent attractive; as in are you attracted to it?"

Maddie pulled a face. "Er, _no!_"

Daniel smiled. "Edward didn't think you would be. Second question. Do you find Ben's scent attractive?"

Maddie nodded. "I need to talk to you about that." She admitted, knowing there was a conversation she needed to have with her Dad about possibly dating a half-vampire.

"Not now OK? We have a story to finish."

Maddie nestled her head against her Dad's shoulder. She may be seventeen years old, but this was one bedtime story she had waited a very long time to finish.

"I don't actually need the book you know, I can remember it. I've read this to both Jory and Kate."

"Just read the damn book, Dad." Maddie chuckled.

"OK, Miss Huffy." He cleared his throat theatrically and began to read

_"Cedric's body was lying some twenty feet away. Some way beyond him, glinting in the starlight, lay the Triwizard Cup…"_


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Artefacts**

Instead of knocking and waiting, Maddie did as she'd been asked and walked straight through the front door of the house across the street. It was Sunday morning and still early. Her house had been silent and cool, but over here the dark, grey, October morning had been banished with lights, music and family noise. Anybody walking into this home would be hard-pressed to accuse them of being vampires. One flitted over from where he was cooking bacon to kiss and hug her and the other one had her laughing son in a headlock. Stephanie released Jory and mussed his hair, something that provoked more ire than the headlock.

"Agh, _Mom!_" Jory carefully arranged it back, using the TV screen as a mirror whilst behind him Stephanie rolled her eyes, chuckled and made her way over to Maddie to greet her.

"Kate will be down in a while, she didn't sleep well." She said. "Too excited." Stephanie gave a beautiful gentle smile.

Maddie had been surprised to hear that hybrids slept and also wondered what it was like to be awake all the time and to never sleep and never get tired. There were details about her Dad and Stephanie's life together that she was insanely curious to know.

Hug collected from Jory, Maddie wandered into the kitchen area and over to her Dad. "All that trouble I went to last night to de-scent myself was useless. The whole house stinks of vampire now." She said, sarcastically.

Daniel shook his head. "No it doesn't" He smiled at her. "I took care of it while you were asleep."

"You did? How?"

"The sprays."

"Why does that stuff work and ordinary shampoos and body washes don't?"

"Because ordinary cleansers just dilute the scent, the active ingredient in our products obliterates all trace of it. It's based on something you'd never get in a commercial product."

"What?"

"Angel dust. Or more specifically, angel skin cells."

_"What?" _This sounded like the realm of fantasy.

"Angels don't smell, we can't track them and the unique properties in their skin are effective at destroying other scents."

Maddie's brain scrabbled to get a hold on what he was saying. "Um… _Angel?_ As in…?"

"Celestial being with wings, yes."

"There are _Angels?_"

"Yes."

"You know an _Angel?_"

"We know three and one is in our family."

"There's one in the family? Who?"

"Kael."

She'd heard his name yesterday "He's an Angel? Do you know any Zombies?"

Daniel looked at her as if she was mad. "Zombies don't exist, Maddie."

"Are you sure? Until the start of October I'd have sworn blind that vampires didn't. Angel skin cells? How do you collect those from him? You don't torture him do you?"

Jory laughed and came over. "No, we leave that bit to our cousins." Jory and his Dad grinned at one another. "Ness's kids drive him up the wall because they never sit still. There's nothing very scientific involved in collecting angel skin cells, you just need a clean sheet, and someone to brush him down; just as you would collecting human skin cells."

"It sounds like Polyjuice potion."

"Yeah, but it doesn't turn you into Kael, it just stops other vampires from picking up the scent of us from you."

"But I'm going to be around you now; I'll always smell of you."

"Not always." Said Daniel. "It's very effective at masking it for several hours. Twice a day is enough and the spray neutralises any contact if one of us hugs you. Also, we have a second line of defence in place, now that we're all using it." He Dad pulled a face. "You have no idea how weird it smells in here."

Maddie sniffed. "I can't smell anything."

"That's precisely the point." Her Dad replied. "It's like a vampire having a blocked-up nose. I can't smell my family."

Maddie laughed. "Why would you want to smell your family?"

"It's how I know where they are. Humans are very visual creatures; vampires are very scent-drive creatures. Don't forget that we hunt; we need our noses to track our prey. You don't primarily smell your food; you look at your food."

"I don't think that applies to bacon. Looks disgusting but smells divine." Maddie looked longingly at the skillet and hoped that was breakfast for three. "Is there enough for me?"

"Sure. You don't think I'd leave you out, did you?"

"I don't know. It's kind of a new experience, my Dad cooking me breakfast."

"I can't remember if I ever did before so we'll class this as the inaugural, OK?"

"If it's anything like your cakes it'll be great."

"Well that wasn't strictly me that was a friend's recipe."

"You have friends who bake cakes? Vampires bake cakes?"

"Well, in this family yes they do; but that wasn't one of Esmé's recipes. That recipe came from our friend Emily."

"She's another vampire?"

"No, she's a human."

"Oh. Normal then." Maddie grinned at him.

"She's married to a guy who could change into a wolf." Daniel watched his daughter's brain decide to give up.

"Dad, this is… too weird. Vampires, angels and now people who change into wolves? You have checked that there's not a Hans Christian Anderson around, haven't you?"

Daniel shrugged. "Welcome to the Cullen family."

Maddie's heart was doing another samba as Daniel pulled up a street away from his parent's home in Menlo Park, south of the city. Stephanie was sat beside him and in the back were his three children. Now she was aware of it, Jory looked so much like their father that this could be a difficult experience for her Grandparents, to see a boy who looked so much like their dead son. A son they could never know what really happened to. Daniel turned off the engine and Stephanie reached over for his hand. Maddie wasn't the only one finding this a little stressful.

"We'll pick you up right here at four o'clock." Stephanie said, angling herself around in the seat. She stared for a moment at Kate.

"I know." Kate replied. "I promise I won't say anything."

"Let Maddie do the talking, she knows them."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Maddie asked Stephanie.

Stephanie looked at Daniel. "I'm still undecided."

"I think you should." He replied. "We should make the most of this opportunity."

"OK. But perhaps only when it's time to pick you up. We'll see you later."

Maddie, Jory and Kate got out of the car and started walking the short distance to Peter and Barbara Mitchell's house. The black Jaguar passed them slowly before turning left and driving away.

Three massive trees kept the Mitchell's house largely hidden in its location, on the corner of Laurel and Gilbert Avenues. Cars were parked everywhere and it looked like there were many people already here. It was a dry day and from the sound of it most were out in the yard.

"I'm really nervous." Said Kate, as they approached. "What if they guess?"

"How could they." Replied Jory. Even if it they did guess who our father was, they'd never believe it because of the math. To them I'm the same age at Maddie and they know that Dad didn't have any other children back then. It's just coincidence, that's all."

"So are you two gonna pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend?" Said Kate. "'Cause that'll be awkward."

Maddie scoffed. "No. Girls can have boy friends without them having to be boyfriends. Gran will get the difference. You're just my friends from across the street, I told her that."

Barbara Mitchell however didn't appear to have gotten the message. She cornered Maddie within seconds of them getting through the door. "Is he your boyfriend?" She asked straight out. Behind Barbara, Kate tried and failed to keep the smirk off her face.

"No, he's just a friend." Maddie replied. "I told you, Jory and Kate live across the street."

"Well your Gramps and I started out as just friends. Jory's very… striking. He reminds me of your Dad in a way."

"Does he?" Asked Maddie, innocently.

"See for yourself. All the photograph albums are in your Dad's old room, go have a look sometime this afternoon."

"Is all his stuff still here?"

"Most of it. We've started to give things away now. I think it's time." Maddie's Gran had a look of acceptance about her.

"I think you're right. Could I… take some things, please?"

"Sure! Help yourself to anything you want. There are a load of CDs up there. We have no use for those; we don't even have a CD player anymore. Do you?"

"Mom does, yeah."

"Well you take what you want; books, pictures, anything. Everything I need of him is in here and here." Barbara touched her head and placed her hand on her heart.

Maddie felt an unexpected stab of discomfort. "Thanks." She said.

The house was packed and a great number of her Grandpa's well-wishers were keen to have a few words with Maddie. All of them seemed to have kind words about her Dad which Jory and Kate stood either side of her hopefully appreciated too. It was a surprise to see Aidan here, her Dad's friend who he'd been at the Fillmore with on the last night he was human. Aidan had been a High School friend and was as old as her Dad would've been had he not run into Diego that night. Aidan's eyes were lined and underneath, dark circles and bags were evidence that he was working long hours. His brown hair was now peppered lightly with grey and his waistline, once as slim as Daniel's still was, was larger and hung slightly over his belt.

"I see your Mom's branching out." He said. "Not content with being San Francisco's Person of the Year for the 5th Year in a row, she's heading up this amazing facility. She's quite the philanthropist these days. Is she trying to re-build the city single-handedly?"

"No, she just wants to use her skills and connections to give something back."

"Yeah, well, tell her to give me a call if she's looking for a Finance Director." Aidan handed Maddie his card. "I've been at Ferranti's too long and it's time I got out. The divorce has kinda brought things into sharp relief, made me look at what's important in my life. Made me realise there are things I still want to achieve. So how's school?"

Maddie collected a lot of business cards from those approaching forty who all seemed to be going through an early mid-life crisis. From those who knew her grandparents there was a familiar sadness, an acknowledgement that having a deceased Dad and the world's busiest Mom wasn't going to be an easy place to be in. At one point Maddie looked around and found Kate and Jory stood together in the corner of the room. She excused herself and went over. They were looking at something and Maddie, reaching them, saw what it was: Their Dad's High School graduation picture. The three of them stood in silence for a moment.

"He really didn't change much in ten years." Said Jory quietly. "Perhaps filled out a little."

"We probably shouldn't talk about this here." Said Kate.

"We could go upstairs." said Maddie.

They agreed and the three of them made their way to their Dad's old room.

Daniel hadn't lived at home for many years, but his room still had his bed in it and things on the walls that his parents had never removed; such as a pennant from Menlo-Atherton High School and a pin board above his desk, with a cornucopia of things stuck to it. Jory and Kate made a beeline for it and a little giggle escaped Kate's mouth as she looked at a couple of fading pictures on there.

She turned to Maddie. "Is that an old girlfriend?" She said, pointing to a picture of their Dad with his arm around the waist of a girl with long blonde hair. It had been taken at Prom.

Maddie nodded. "Yes, that's Angie Thompson. I'm surprised she's not here today, she's great friends with Gran and Gramps. I think they would've liked it if she and Dad had gotten married. I think that's how life was supposed to work out, in Gran's eyes."

"Cheery." Said Jory. "None of us would've been born, then." He gave Maddie a wry smile.

"I was an accident anyway and you two are freaks of nature." She levied with sass back at her brother.

Jory laughed. "And Kate's the only one of us who was born to parents who were married; so she's even more of a freak."

Kate rolled her eyes, pulled the picture of Angie Thompson off the board and pocketed it.

"Why do you want that?" Jory asked.

"I don't. I just don't want her looking at me. I don't like to think that anyone was supposed to end up with Dad, other than Mom."

"How did they meet?" Asked Maddie.

"Do you mean the official version or the truth?" Said Jory.

"You mean there's a difference?" Maddie sat down on the bed and Jory sat down opposite her. Kate pulled a photo album off the bookcase and brought it over.

"Our world is not the black and white existence you're used to." Said Jory. "Although some of our family, like Carlisle, make it look easy; integrating with humans is a tough business, especially if you're transitioning from traditional vampire behaviour to what we do."

"This animal blood stuff?"

"Yes. Dad first met Mom about two months after he joined the family. It was a one-off thing, but she made an impression. So a few months later, he and Edward contrived a way that he could meet her safely. You have to realise that back then he was very new to that life. Mom didn't know she was attending classes with five vampires and a guy who could turn into a wolf. But it was all to protect her; because Dad could've lost it at any moment."

"So it's not easy?"

"No."

"But you and Kate can be around me?"

"It's still there, you still smell good in a way you wouldn't want us to think of you; but we've learnt how to control it. It's a skill we all develop. Anyhow, they kind of got together over the course of a year with Dad trying to slowly get things into the position where she could work out the truth about him. He couldn't tell her and it's not information that's easy to discover or give. If she'd have freaked out he could've lost her and then they'd have the difficulty of someone who knew too much."

"She'd been in danger from the vampire police."

"Yes. Thankfully they did get together but they didn't _officially_ get together until Mom was introduced to Dad at Ness's wedding, a year after they first met. I arrived the following July and Kate fifteen months after that. Have you done an internet search for Stephanie Cullen?"

"No. Should I?"

"I think you should."

Maddie pulled out her Sirius and tapped Stephanie Cullen into the search box.

"Put in 'Forks,' that's where she lived." Added Jory.

Maddie looked at the search returns and saw what Jory was possibly referring to. It was an obituary. She clicked on it and it brought up a news article. Maddie started to read.

"As far as the world is concerned," Jory continued, "that's what happened to the newly-married Stephanie Cullen."

"Not Mitchell? Dad's listed here as Daniel Cullen."

"No. When they officially met at the wedding, the story was, that he was Carlisle's cousin. Cullen is the name we all share, but to hide we have to be fairly flexible on names. Like Edward using his middle and previous surname to introduce himself to you."

Maddie read more of the article; the young High School teacher and her new husband had been killed in a light aircraft on their honeymoon in Brazil in August 2016. There was no mention of Jory.

"Was she a… one of you by then?"

"No, but they wanted to try for another baby and it seemed the right time to pull her out of humanity as it were. She didn't make the transition until after Kate was born." Jory suddenly gave a shudder and Maddie noticed a hint of pain in his expression.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing." Said Jory, but he seemed falsely cheerful. "It's just this room. So full of the Dad none of us knew."

"Can we take these?" Asked Kate. "They're hilarious. Look, Dad when he was your age." Kate handed the album over to her brother, showing the page of pictures of their Dad on his 7th birthday in April 1989. Maddie and Kate both giggled at the pictures of the cute blond boy, holding up his model car with pride.

Jory scoffed. "Look at what it is, a Jaguar."

"He likes Jaguar?" Asked Maddie.

"Sure. Never buys anything else. Mom gets what she likes the look of, but Dad's like Pops in that regard; both of them stick to the same manufacturer."

"It sounds really weird you calling Edward 'Pops'."

Jory looked at her. "Have you ever tried to find a suitable word, to describe your grandfather who stopped aging at seventeen? Believe me, Pops is easier than Grandpa. Besides, that's what we call Charlie. He's genuinely old, he's fifty eight."

"That's not old." Said Maddie. "My Grampa downstairs is sixty five."

"I know it's not _that_ old - Carlisle's over three hundred and fifty and Jane's over twelve hundred; but they've stopped aging and Grampa Charlie hasn't.

The three of them looked through albums and rifled through the boxes in the room. Lots of things were from their Dad's old apartment. Jory called him and asked him if he wanted anything. His Dad couldn't remember what he'd had, but he didn't mind them helping themselves to anything. In one box, Kate found a whole stash of pictures of Maddie, along with some drawings she had done in Kindergarten.

"Madison Mitchell." Said Kate reading the name printed on the bottom of the picture by the teacher.

"Only Mom calls me that. It used to hurt 'cause Dad did too. But it's easier now."

"What do you want to be known as?" Asked Kate.

"Maddie's great. Mads is even batter." Maddie smiled. "But I'm OK with anything now. It's not so much of the deal it used to be. Are you a Katherine?" She asked Kate.

"No, I'm Kate Elizabeth Cullen. If you call me Katie I'll have to scratch your eyes out."

"And you?" She asked Jory.

"Jory Edward. I know you're Madison Mary."

"Yeah, God knows why I got stuck with the name of a Grandmother we don't even speak to."

"Your Mom's parents?"

"Yup. Did Dad ever tell you why my Mom's company is called Elba?"

"No. I didn't know a lot about you until recently."

"Some of us still don't know a lot." Grumbled Kate.

"My Mom hated her Dad, he was; well he still is incredibly controlling. Pretty much as soon as she could, she got out and started working. He was always ordering her around and acting like Napoleon Bonaparte. So when she cut herself off from her family - sent herself into exile as it were; she chose the name Elba, because that was the name of the island that Napoleon was exiled to. She thought it was ironic."

"So you don't know your other grandparents?"

"No."

"Don't you want to?" Asked Kate. "We don't have any family on Mom's side anymore. Her Mom died two years ago. We just have Nana and Pops, and obviously, they don't know it but…" Kate pointed to the floor indicating Peter and Barbara Mitchell downstairs.

There was a familiar car engine outside and Maddie walked to the window.

"My Mom's here. I didn't think she'd come." Maddie watched her Mom make her way to the door and heard the sound of the bell. There was a pause and she listened carefully as the door was opened, noticing the surprise in her Gran's voice. They weren't expecting her either. "Ha, this will be interesting if she's still here when Stephanie arrives." Maddie span on her heels and faced her siblings. "Does Stephanie do contract killings?" She grinned, but the looks she received back from Jory and Kate shocked her. They didn't find it remotely funny.

"I guess you don't have our perspective," said Jory. "But we don't consider the death of a human as funny. For us it means something's gone very badly wrong."

Maddie appreciated what she'd said. "Oh. I am _so _sorry."

Just then her Gran came into the room. "Do you want to come get some food; we need some help eating all this. And Maddie, your Mom's here. She doesn't look great. I think she could do with a break."

Maddie, Jory and Kate made their way downstairs. Maddie saw her Mom talking to her Grandpa, and Gran was right; she didn't look all that great, in fact she looked worried. Maddie had been with the Cullens all day and hadn't seen her Mom since first thing. Jory and Kate went to get food while Maddie made her way over to her Mom.

"Mom, hi."

"Hey sweetie." Helen said and very unusually embraced her daughter and pulled her away from everyone else.

"You OK?" Maddie asked.

Her Mom smiled weakly. "Difficult day. Veronica gets a little… prickly at times."

"Oh?"

"You know, I think there's something she isn't telling me about all this. Twice this week I've felt that I don't have the full picture about who the Solace Foundation really are and today she was… so difficult, it was like hitting my head against a wall trying to get her to agree to the simplest of things. She may be bankrolling a significant percentage of this, but she has a lot to learn in business. She kept insisting that security's been compromised and that someone's found a way in. A way in to what I have no idea, especially as we have very little in place. She seems to have some nebulous, random fear of somebody or something. You know, I really shouldn't say this, but she is so _flakey._ I could never understand why you didn't like her, but perhaps you saw things clearer than I did."

"You should get out if you're uncomfortable. You've not had day-to-day oversight at Elba for months, perhaps you should give yourself a few days back there, let things with Veronica calm down. Surely she appreciates that you have a business to run as well?"

"Yes," her Mom sighed loudly. "That sounds like a good thing to do. Take a break."

"I'm just going to get some food." Said Maddie. "Back in a moment."

Maddie weaved her way through the house and found Jory and Kate filling plates. Maddie sidled up to Jory. "Veronica's getting suspicious of something. Have we been compromised?"

"Let me call Jane." He said.

Maddie and Jory, followed by an indignant Kate, piled into the Mitchell's tiny laundry room.

"You always leave me out, I am not a child!" She fumed.

"Sorry, but my Mom's said something, we need to find out if things are still OK." Maddie nabbed a tiny Chinese spring roll from Kate's plate.

Jory called a contact. "Hi Jane. I'm fine thanks. Listen, Maddie's mom says that V seems to be acting suspiciously, as if something or someone had got in. We just wanted to know if everything's OK? No, they're not here; we're at Maddie's grandparent's house." Jory sighed and Maddie saw his shoulder's slump. "OK. Well we thought we'd let you know. See you soon." Jory hung up.

"What?" Asked Maddie.

"The downsides of being one of the children. She wanted to know if Mom or Dad were here."

"She didn't take you seriously?"

"Yes, but she was in Auntie Jane, _'don't you worry yourself about it, the grown-ups will take care of it,'_ mode."

"Now you know how I feel, being the smallest." Kate turned to Maddie, "This is the real downside of being stuck in the middle, being what we are. Jane's girls wouldn't get anywhere near a sniff of danger, they're… like you. But because we're an unknown quantity, if there's danger anywhere they still play it safe and we get put with the hu…. Children. It's not fair, I can fight!"

"Kate simmer down." Jory warned his sister. "We've told Jane, that's all we can do."

Jory and Kate got time to speak to their Grandparents whilst Maddie went back upstairs and packed a selection of things into two bags. She didn't take a lot of things, just the photo albums and whatever she could find that related to her. Maddie came back downstairs at the same time as the doorbell chimed. She opened it and found Stephanie on the doorstep.

"Come in." She said.

Stephanie kissed her. "Nice afternoon?"

"Interesting. Think your daughter charmed my Gramps." Maddie smiled.

"She has a tendency to do that to people."

Stephanie and Maddie made their way through the house. Maddie couldn't help notice the subtle staring that was going on. People could hardly keep their eyes off the woman behind her. She smiled even more when she spied her Mom in the corner talking to Angie Thompson. Oh this was too good to resist; bringing together her Dad's ex-girlfriend, his ex-wife and his current wife.

"Come meet my Mom." Said Maddie. "Mom? This is Stephanie Chambers, she just moved in across the street."

"Oh, hi. Nice to meet you. Hey, Maddie, do you know who this is?" Her Mom pointed towards Angie.

"Yes, I do." Maddie lifted the bag. "I've been looking through old photos, Gran said I could take them."

Angie laughed like an annoying twittery bird. "Oh my goodness, we were so young! And you my sweetheart, are the spitting image of your father." Angie placed her hand theatrically over her heart.

"How? He was six foot three and blonde." Maddie replied, assuming the woman must be an imbecile to mix that up with five foot seven and brown haired. Beside her there was a snicker from Stephanie.

Angie twittered her amusement and even her Mom looked at the bubble-headed woman in amazement.

"People usually think she looks like me," said Helen. "But she has his face shape. I thought that kid over there was Daniel reincarnated before." Helen pointed to Jory. "Who's he?"

"That's my stepson, Jory." Stephanie replied.

"Well, if there's anyone here that looks like Daniel, it's him." Helen turned to Stephanie. "You didn't marry my ex-husband did you?"

"I doubt it. I understand from Maddie that he died a while ago."

"Yes he did." Helen paused. "He was a lovely guy; I let him slip through my fingers."

"Oh me _too!_" Added Angie.

Maddie looked at Stephanie and saw the flicker of a smile on her mouth.

Maddie said goodbye to Jory, Kate and Stephanie, walking out to the street and seeing the black Jaguar parked several cars back.

"I'll head back with my Mom." She said.

"OK, we'll see you tomorrow." Jory kissed her cheek. Kate did too. The pair of them rushed over to the car. Stephanie lingered.

Maddie handed her a photo album. "I think this one is most likely to have him squirming." They smiled broadly at each other.

"Thank you for the _interesting_ opportunity of meeting his exes."

"I'm very happy that he has you.

"Thank you. He's an amazing man."

"He is, and they don't know the half of it." Maddie was now sure of that.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Dances with Vampires**

Maddie stretched out and did her dance warm up. To the side of her the studio door banged open and Kate ran through it.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to get Jory." She looked behind her. "_Ach,_ where is he?"

"I'm here." Said her brother, sauntering in.

"What do we need Jory for?" Maddie asked.

"Stunt vampire." Kate changed into her dance kit as quickly as she could within human speed.

Maddie laughed. "Why do we need a stunt vampire?"

"To make it more realistic. I think the secret to a great routine is timing. Just like in fight scenes in movies, the best ones are the ones that are brilliantly choreographed and this is going to turn out the same. Once we've got it down we can teach it to the others."

"But Melinda's done the choreography."

"I know and I'm making it better." Kate seemed to assume that this fact would be self-evident to Maddie and this in turn made her older sister smile. She recognised that long-forgotten trait they both had. She'd been out of it and content just to go along with the path of least resistance for so long, that she'd forgotten bits of her own personality along the way.

"Even so, you might want to run this by her first." Cautioned Maddie; having more diplomacy experience than the four year old. "Melinda's put a lot of hard work into it."

"I'll run it by her, when we have it done."

"So what do you need Jory for?"

"I'm going to pull off his head."

"What, literally?"

Kate scoffed. "Well, no, that'd take some explaining." Kate got up close into the face of her sister. "But the heads of real vampires," she whispered, "can be disconnected fairly easily if you give them a sharp twist." Kate's face was alive with mischief. "I thought we'd introduce an element of reality into the dance."

"Like people are going to know." Said Jory, he sounded bored out of his head.

"Mom and Dad will find it hilarious." Said Kate.

"Yeah, that's just what this thing needs; random members of the audience laughing at jokes no-one else gets." He continued.

"But that's the beauty of it. _We'll_ know."

"_We'll _be found out," Jory jabbed; "if Maddie's Mom decides that this is the perfect thing to bring her new friend to."

That seemed to take the wind out of Kate's sails and she visibly deflated. "Oh. I hadn't thought about that."

"No, you never do." Jory put his arms around his little sister and pulled her to him. "You're too enthusiastic for your own good sometimes. Chill."

"I just want to make it _better_." Kate grumbled, her forehead resting on her brother's sweater.

"I know. Perhaps you could give the hint of it without turning into a master class on beheading a vampire. Ness told you how much trouble she got in when something ended up on _YouTube_ that shouldn't have."

Kate sighed. "OK. But I still think my way's better."

"I'm sure it is, but… We need to fit in." Jory looked over to Maddie. "It's always like this. Endlessly analysing what will or will not fit in."

"They really wouldn't get it, you know." Said Kate.

"Most people wouldn't, but that woman would. It's not a chance we should be taking." Jory looked at his watch. "You only have twenty minutes left so you'd better get a move on."

Later that day, Maddie was browsing one of her favourite stores; a place that specialised in stuff for the anarchic, the drop-outs and the dispossessed. For once in her life she was fashionable, as the grunge look was making a minor resurgence much to her joy. But as she looked through the racks of t-shirts, jeans and belts, she smiled that so much of it contained vampire imagery. It had never before interested her and now that she was aware of it, she noticed just how much stuff pedalled the myths about them. She smiled to herself as she held up yet another t-shirt featuring a black-clad fanged fiend. The t-shirt gave the impression that vampires were sexy. In Maddie's world they were neither of those things; they were either evil personified… or your Dad.

"Or your grandfather." Said a quiet voice behind her. Maddie turned around to see Edward. "Hi. Sorry, I was in the vicinity. I… recognised your thoughts."

Maddie grinned at Edward's slight discomfiture. "Is this your version of _'I saw you across the street?'_"

Edward smiled. "Yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was a couple of stores away, picking out something for Kate's birthday."

"Oh, yeah. I should get something for her. Do you have any idea what she likes? What did you get her?"

Edward grinned. "I would just like to say before I show you this; that this was Bella's idea and it has turned into a bit of an annual thing for our… grandchildren." Edward dropped his voice lower on the last word. "Bearing in mind that Kate will technically only be five." Edward opened the bag and pulled from it a large Disney _Stitch _soft toy.

Maddie's face lit up. _"Want!"_

Edward's shoulders slumped. "Oh not you as well?"

"Are you kidding? I loved _Lilo and Stitch!_ I went through a stage of wanting to be _Lilo_."

"Something you have in common with Kate, then."

"Oh, I need to watch those movies again." Maddie hugged the soft toy and handed it back to Edward. "I don't think you're ever too old for stuff like this. So you buy all your…um… family.. stuff like this?"

"It's part of what we buy them, yes. We didn't buy toys for Ness; then the second she got pregnant, she decided that her kids weren't being deprived like she was, _ha!_ She went out and bought everything going. Jake's had to add an extra room in their house just to accommodate all the stuff. It looks like the Disney Store in there." He shook his head and laughed. "That's partly the rest of the families' fault. Give us licence to buy toys and we will. Although Emmett buys the boys things just so that he can play with them, himself. Were you looking for something specific in here?"

"No just browsing, killing time."

"Look; there's an hotel not too far from here where they've started to do an old-fashioned English afternoon tea and ballroom dancing. I wondered if you'd like to kill some time with me and refresh your Foxtrot and Quickstep? I already know that you dance a mean Viennese."

"With you? I'd _love_ that! Let's go…oh." Maddie looked down at her school uniform. "I'm not dressed for dancing."

Edward raised an eyebrow at her. "This is Market Street in San Francisco, I think we can find you a dress."

He and Maddie scouted a few places and Maddie hit on a simple plum wrap dress, a knitted bolero jacket and some knee-high black patent leather boots with a low heel. She exited the store wearing her new purchases and she and Edward walked at speed the couple of blocks to the Palace Hotel.

In the elegance of the ballroom, with Maddie suitably refreshed from a slice of cake and a cup of Earl Grey, Edward took her hand and led her to the floor.

"Your hands are warm." She whispered, surprised.

"Heated gel packs. It makes it a little more pleasant for you."

"I don't mind, I'm used to it now."

"I know, but you'll cool very quickly around me. Shall we dance Miss Mitchell?"

"With pleasure, Mr Cullen."

Edward took her into hold and to the strains of a song that Maddie couldn't identify, but Edward could, because he was singing along to it, they executed a slow Foxtrot around the floor.

"So who is this singing?" Maddie asked.

"I don't know who she is." Edward said, indicating with his head to the woman singing, but she's singing a song by Julie London. It's one of my favourites."

A thought flashed into Maddie's mind.

"Yes, I'm aware of what my family thinks of my musical taste." He smiled and Maddie was a little dazzled by his teeth, he seemed to have so many of them. "I'd just about straightened myself out by the 1950s, so that decade remains a favourite."

"Straightened yourself out?"

"Yes. I didn't always live this way. I _rebelled_ for a while. Lived the traditional way."

Maddie couldn't imagine Edward ever sinking to the depths that those vampires in Diego's den had. "What made you quit?"

"I wanted to do things like this and red-eyes weren't easy to cover back then."

"So have you been married before?"

"No."

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"Really?"

Edward smiled. "Yes, really. I had to wait the best part of a century before I met Bella."

"Are you _serious?_ You didn't have a girlfriend?" Maddie dropped her voice. "For nearly a _hundred years?"_

Edward shook his head. "No. No girlfriend."

"But you're…" Maddie stopped herself saying the very inappropriate word of 'hot' and then as Edward's eyebrow flicked up, she realised he'd heard it in her head anyway. "Um… good looking."

"I prefer hot." He laughed.

"But didn't you want to date someone?"

"Yes, but I never saw anybody who… caught my eye, until one January day nearly seventeen years ago now."

"Wow, you must have been so lonely?"

"Not really. I had Carlisle, Esmé, Rose and Emmett. Jasper and Alice joined us in the 1950s, so they were new people to get to know."

"But they're all couples. Didn't you feel like the… fifth wheel?"

"One of the benefits to having the talent that I have, is knowing when to leave. I studied a lot and spent a lot of time at the movies."

"Was there a bad decade?"

"The 1970s were a low point. It kind of picked up after that."

The music changed tempo to a Quickstep and Maddie stumbled a little as she tried to remember the steps. But Edward reminded her and, with a little practise, she was off around the dance floor once again.

Edward leaned down to her ear. "A man in a blue jacket is going to ask you to dance, please say no. It really isn't a good thing for me to swap partners and be too close to people who might ask questions that I don't want to answer. Pretend we're together."

Maddie was a little shocked. "You mean _together _together?"

"Awkward, I know. But it just makes things easier." Edward held her tighter as if to announce that they were now in character.

As Edward predicted, a large man with a protruding stomach approached them and asked to dance with Maddie. It was no hardship to remain with Edward; her suitor was not fragrant or attractive by any means.

"He's my boyfriend." Maddie added by way of clumsy explanation. The man looked unconvinced and so Maddie went to kiss Edward, but somehow missed, winding up kissing the skin right next to his lips. Edward seemed to tense up, but thankfully the man, seeing that his approach had been rebuffed, moved on to someone else. Maddie's glance flicked back to Edward and she realised that he wasn't exactly looking pleased. "What?" She asked.

"I guess your father hasn't told you about kissing vampires." He said in a low voice.

"No. Why, is there a problem with that?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

They danced on.

"Notwithstanding that I'm married and related to you in a way that would deem it inappropriate for you to kiss me on the lips; you should never, ever kiss a vampire on the lips in public."

"I didn't know." Maddie thought about things for a moment. "Have I just done a really stupid thing by getting too close to your mouth?" Her heart seemed to stop.

"Yes, but not for the reason you think, although that is a consideration, for sure."

"What then?"

"Our lips are coated with a chemical that incapacitates humans. If you had kissed me, you would have alerted the whole ballroom to me not being human."

"Oh. Incapacitates? As in paralyses?" Maddie thought about how a spider might act.

"Not exactly. It's more a combination of an aphrodisiac and an extreme muscle relaxant."

"So I'd have ended up pretty much in a heap on the floor?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Oh. Note to self, never kiss a vampire."

"I'm not saying never kiss one, I'm saying don't do it in public, certainly not for the first time. Once Stephanie got used to it she could kiss your father in public with little adverse reaction."

"Once she got _used to it?"_

"It operates the same way as any addictive drug. The first hit is the strongest and after that you need more and more to get the same effect."

Maddie chuckled to herself, imagining Stephanie feeling compelled to kiss Daniel for longer. And then Maddie understood the mess she would have been in had she kissed Edward and found herself craving somebody else's husband. She hadn't met Bella yet, but she could imagine that she wouldn't be too pleased about the competition.

Edward smiled at Maddie. "You're right about that. We are a very possessive species and will fight to the death for our mates. You need to respect that. If you kill a vampire's mate you will garner yourself an enemy for eternity and they will set out to do the same to you. This I know."

"Wow." Maddie didn't really know what to say.

The music changed tempo again. "How about a waltz?" Asked Edward, moving the subject on.

Maddie checked her watch. "No. I should be going; Margaret will be worried about me."

"You did call her and let her know where you were?"

"Of course I did. But I said I'd be back at five and it's way past that now."

"OK."

Maddie and Edward exited the hotel into torrential rain.

"Ugh! My car's three blocks away. And I don't have an umbrella."

"We'll get a cab." Said Edward and turned to speak to the doorman. As he did so, Maddie saw him freeze. He wasn't looking at the doorman; his gaze was fixed on something, or more correctly _someone _across the street.

Maddie looked and realised that she recognised the man, or more correctly the vampire that Edward was staring at. It was Noah, Diego's boyfriend. She automatically took a step closer to Edward and went to touch him.

_"Back off!"_ Edward suddenly hissed.

Maddie jumped back shocked that Edward wouldn't want to protect her.

Edward swore, which shocked her even more, but it seemed to pull him out of his trance and into earnest conversation with the doorman. Maddie stared at the vampire across the street; he'd made no attempt to move.

Edward turned to her. "Houston we have a problem."


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: In the Mire**

Maddie understood, she didn't need Edward to tell her twice; but she would give anything to be over at her Dad's place right now. Maddie was still under an exclusivity contract with Jasper, but Noah had spotted her with another vampire leaving The Palace Hotel. There was a good chance that Diego would catch up with her for breaking her contract and that, as far as the project to bring down the Solace Foundation was concerned, was very, very bad indeed. Edward didn't want Diego anywhere near Daniel, or for Daniel to have the slightest clue that Maddie was acquainted with Diego. So this self-imposed curfew was as much about protecting her Dad as it was about protecting herself. Edward had let Jory and Stephanie know what had happened, because they needed to know the real reason why Maddie wasn't coming over so they could reassure her Dad and Kate that nothing was wrong, Maddie just had a lot on for a few days.

In her bedroom Maddie paced about like a caged tiger. She was anxious and unsettled and even a constant stream of supportive messages from Jory wasn't helping to ease her worries. She and Edward had unwittingly blown this whole thing wide open. Maddie threw herself onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. What had Noah been doing standing outside the Palace Hotel anyway? Had she been followed? She hadn't seen this exclusivity contract that Jasper had paid for and that's where Edward had gone, to check out the paperwork. Maddie hadn't been given anything. Edward had told her that was because of the low regard vampires usually had for humans. The humans that wound up at Diego's weren't as fit and healthy as Maddie was and many didn't survive their first time. Maddie had shuddered at that.

"What do you think breaking the contract will result in?" She asked.

"I wouldn't worry about it." But there was something about Edward's expression that Maddie didn't like.

"Please, tell me. I want to know. Am I in danger?"

Edward looked at her for a couple of seconds. "Yes."

Maddie's insides gave a lurch. "But you can protect me, right?"

"Yes and what's why you shouldn't worry. Alice, Jasper and Ben are already here and the rest can be called in at short notice if needs be. They'll all be here in five days anyhow."

"They're coming for Kate's birthday?"

Edward smiled. "Yes. The Cullens don't miss an opportunity to celebrate real birthdays."

"Do you celebrate yours?"

"Not in the classic sense. We celebrate wedding anniversaries and the children's birthdays, but when it comes to mine and Bella's birthdays, we have a day with Ness. I can't believe she turned fifteen this year."

"And she has four children?"

Edward grinned.

"I can't wait to meet them."

"And they can't wait to meet you."

"Really? Are they coming to San Francisco for Kate's birthday?"

"No. All the children will be with Ness and Jake until this is over. They're going to look after Jane and Dan's girls too. We wouldn't want them here right now and given the choice we'd ship you, Ben, Kate and Jory out too."

Maddie gave an indignant huff. "I did survive a magnitude 8.9 earthquake, you know. I'm not that fragile."

"Vampires are very protective of their children; you need to work with us on that."

And working with him she was. Maddie had agreed, to both a voluntary exclusion from her Dad's house and also to house arrest. Her only movements could be between her house and school until any threat from Diego was neutralised. Maddie looked back at her ceiling and wished that Edward would just go down there and pull Diego apart.

She decided to do something constructive and wandered into her closet to have a cull of stuff. In the pocket of her dress pants she found the little phial of vampire skin covering that she kept meaning to hand over. She wandered back into her bedroom, grabbed a piece of paper and sprayed some of it on there. It was exactly like cosmetic foundation but when she touched it, it was like touching stone.

"Weird stuff." She muttered to herself and dropped the phial into her school bag. She'd give it to Jory tomorrow.

Maddie went downstairs, planning to check her Mom's account for more information. She was stunned to see that her Mom was in there, but wandered into her office anyway. The desk was covered with documents.

"What's all this?" Maddie asked.

"Contracts. The Solace Foundation are a little old school. They like things down on paper. Italian business practice hasn't caught up with the rest of the world."

"Have you started to award them yet?"

"Yes, first ones are going out today for the actual construction."

"This is all a little hands-on for you Mom. Are you going to run down to the mailbox with them, like in the old days?"

Helen laughed. "I know. I'm having to do it because Veronica's not quite up to speed on the importance of getting people in. She's working on it, apparently. I could have placed one call to Travail Recruitment and had it dealt with; but oh no, she wants to do the hiring and firing."

"I'll do this." Maddie volunteered. It would give her something to do.

Helen looked startled. "Would you? I'll pay you, obviously."

"Sure. It's just filling envelopes, right?"

"Yes, two copies of the contract and the correct covering letter. Put them in the envelope and stick the address labels on. Oh you're a lifesaver, Madison."

"It's no problem; I don't have anything to do tonight."

"Well I am in urgent need of a large glass of wine. So I will leave this in your capable hands."

Helen was out of the office in no time and Maddie took her place at the desk, logging in to her Mom's computer while she could hear her in the kitchen getting wine and a snack from the fridge. There were several new items and Maddie forwarded them quickly to herself. Her Mom shocked her by sticking her head around the door again.

"You're here? You're not across the street. Have you and Jory split up?"

"I'm not seeing Jory, Mom. He's just a friend."

"But you're always over there."

"Yeah, well… I had a lot of work to do and Kate is a little annoying at times." Maddie lied. Kate was nothing of the sort.

"Oh. Well it's nice to see you. We should go out to dinner more." Helen sipped her wine.

"I'd like to have dinner here. You miss out on some great stuff that Margaret cooks."

"Do I? Oh my goodness I'd forgotten she does that for you." Helen looked contrite. "You can be honest, am I out too much these days?"

"Yes." Maddie admitted. "I never see you. Sometimes I think you forget I exist."

Her Mom came fully back into the office and sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. "That isn't good. That isn't good at all. Can you just give me a few more days? I need to get to the other side of the Gala. Then I promise you that from November it's going to be different. I'll call Rochelle at Travail tomorrow and make sure I have people starting November 1st."

"What about Elba?"

Helen sighed. "That's less of a problem; the guys are pretty much doing it on their own, anyway. I trust them."

Just then the doorbell rang. Maddie checked her Sirius, there were no messages but she still felt anxious. However, there was no reason to be; it was Angel's Dad, Michael who took a seat in the vacant chair opposite. Maddie kept on filling the envelopes.

"It's really good to see you." Said Helen. "It feels like I haven't been at Elba for months."

"Mom, you haven't." Said Maddie, garnering a smile from Michael Williams.

Helen laughed, girlishly. "True! I'm hoping that I'll be a little more hands on after the Solace Gala at the end of the month. You and Ali and Angel must come, it will be a great and glorious night."

"We'd love to, although I don't think I have pockets deep enough to afford some of the lots up for auction."

"Oh that doesn't matter; it will be nice to have friends there to support the project. You know how important this is to me."

"I do and it's a fabulous thing for the city. The reports are incredible from London and I'm absolutely convinced it's what San Francisco needs."

"So am I. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"It's a matter of personnel to be honest."

"Tony can't deal with it?"

"Not really. It's a little personal."

"Oh. Um… Madison, you can finish those later."

"No, it's OK. This sort of concerns her too."

Maddie put down the envelope she was completing and gave Michael Williams her full attention.

"I looked through the technical bids that you asked me to and I've given my recommendation about which one you should go with. I want to ask you, well, both of you if… Oh… this is hard to say." He faltered for a moment. "Helen, have you any reason to suspect that Daniel's still alive?"

Her Mom unattractively spat her mouthful of wine back into her glass. Maddie froze.

"No. He was declared dead six years ago."

"I know that." Michael took his Sirius out, opened it up and brought a file up on the screen. He turned it to Helen. "When I was checking out all the bids I came across this. I have only seen coding like this once before and it was Daniel's. This guy, Peter Chambers, codes exactly like Daniel did."

"Are you saying that Peter Chambers is Daniel? The guy just lives across the street. I think I would've noticed if my dead ex-husband had moved in. Besides, Madison's friends with his kids, surely she would have recognised her own father."

Michael looked at Maddie and she shook her head.

"It isn't him." She said.

"Pity, for your sake. But still, I want to buy this guy's business, have him come work for us and I want to make it worth his while. If he codes and designs like Daniel, then you really don't want him being snapped up by your competitors. Sirius really didn't know what they had on their hands when Daniel went there. If he'd been there for longer, they'd have wiped the floor with Apple years ago. It's taken them ten years to get back to where Daniel had them at before he died." He lifted his Sirius. "You know that the basis of this operating system is Daniel's?"

Both Helen and Maddie were amazed.

"Really?" Said Maddie.

"Yes." Michael said to Maddie. He turned back to Helen. "This should've been us."

"He's dead Michael." Said Helen and not without some measure of sadness. "But you think this Peter Chambers is of the same calibre?"

"I don't think it, I _know_ it. I don't recommend that you award him the Solace contract, although his is by far the best system; technically it's superb. I want you to trust my instinct and let me get him for Elba. I won't be able to sleep at night if you don't let me at least try to secure the guy."

Michael and Helen looked at each other for a moment.

"Alright. What are we talking?" She asked.

"I'd like to go in with eight million."

Maddie coughed away her shock.

"Eight _million?_ For one guy? This is software design, right? The guy didn't invent the elixir of life. Are you saying he's that good?"

"Yes. Do you remember how mad I was at you, when you…"

"…Forced Daniel out, I know." She admitted.

"This is your chance to make it up to me. I _want_ this guy on my team. Trust me Helen, he's _that_ good. Have I ever let you down?"

"No, you haven't. OK. But no more than ten without bringing it back to me."

Michael looked to Maddie. "He's across the street you say?"

Oh God, could this get worse? "Er… yeah." Maddie stalled.

"Which house?"

"The one directly opposite." She said.

Michael got up. "Permission to take Elba to the next level, Ms Mitchell?"

Helen took a sip of wine. "Permission granted, Mr Williams."

"Thanks. Nice to see you again Maddie."

Maddie jumped up. "I'll show you out."

Michael chuckled. "I think I can find the exit, thanks."

"OK."

Maddie followed him out anyway and used the pretence of checking her phone to send a message, to tell her Dad not to answer the door. She stood in the open doorway and watched Michael Williams walk across the street and up to her Dad's front door. As his hand reached for the bell her phone beeped. Her Dad he had gotten the message and it was Stephanie who opened the door. Maddie gave an audible sigh of relief and gently closed her front door. Crisis averted.

"Who the _hell_ is Dark Star?" Came a shout from her Mom.

_"Fuck!"_ Maddie hissed under her breath. Her Mom had interrupted her sending files to herself and she hadn't deleted the trail. Maddie stood in the hallway as her mother came out of her office, with a look on her face that suggested to Maddie that the business with Diego was the least of her worries.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: Trapped**

Helen Mitchell waited for her daughter's reply. It was not forthcoming.

"You can't deny it Madison; you were the one sat at the desk. I'm asking you again, who did you send those files to? Who is Dark Star?"

Maddie still did not reply.

"Have you done this before?"

Silence.

"Are you going to tell me anything at all?" Helen's impatience was growing.

"You shouldn't be involved with the Solace Foundation."

"Why?"

Maddie did not reply.

"I'm asking you Madison, why should I not be involved with Solace?"

"There's something evil behind it."

"Do you really think I would be involved with something _evil?_ That's a strange word to use, it sounds straight out of a bad 1970s horror movie. The only evil I can see is you going through my email account and forwarding files onto someone else. Why are you doing that?"

"To protect people."

"From what?"

"The Solace Foundation."

"Why?"

"It'll be like Nazi Germany all over again."

Helen scoffed. "_What?_ Are you out of your mind? Should I call Dr Simpson?"

"Yes. Please. Call him. Call him right now."

"OK. I think you need to get out of my sight before I lose it with you."

Maddie crossed the hall and started up the stairs.

"And you can forget going anywhere other than school for the rest of the month. You're going absolutely _nowhere_, not even across the street and I will be getting Margaret to keep a check on you at all times."

"Fine!" Maddie spat. _"Just don't say I didn't warn you when it all comes down on your head." _She added in a mutter, stomping upstairs and into her room. She closed her bedroom door behind her and leant against it. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuckity _fuck!"_ She riled and took big breaths to try and calm herself. She pulled out her phone and selected Jory's number. She cancelled that. She went for Edward's and cancelled that too. Should she call Jasper? Ben? Her Dad? No, definitely not her Dad, everything was much too close to the surface from seeing Noah for her to hide that, as well as this latest fuck-up. Edward was also a no. If he came here and Veronica did too, she'd instantly make the connection with everything. Oh my God what if her Mom called Veronica and told her that Maddie was the spy? Would she do that? Maddie crept back to her bedroom door and opened it a crack. From her room she could see right down into the living room; her Mom was sat on the sofa nursing her glass of wine. Correction, her Mom wasn't sat, she was hunched over. Maddie knew that posture. Her Mom was worried.

Keeping the door open a crack Maddie sank to her haunches and watched. Her Mom rolled the stem of the wine glass between her fingers. She turned her head to where Maddie was watching.

"I know you're there. I can see that your door's open."

Maddie stood up and opened it wider, there was no point adding to the crap. She walked out onto the landing and leant on the banister.

"Are you going to tell Veronica?" She asked.

"No." Her Mom said softly, got up, walked out of the living room and up the stairs. She stopped a few feet from Maddie and mirrored the same posture, leaning on the banister. "Thing is…These last few weeks have been… weird. I thought I knew everything, but more and more I'm getting a sense of unease and I'm not used to that. At first I thought it was because I was working with someone else - I've always been my own boss after all – but now I'm not so sure…" Helen scoffed. "I wouldn't say that there is evil behind this, but I'm not convinced that Veronica is being entirely honest with me."

"She's not. Please get out of there."

"Why?"

"Solace don't want to help people, they make them… disappear."

"Disappear? As in what; die?"

"Yes. These places are modern day extermination facilities. It'll be another holocaust, but by stealth."

"And who are you sending this information to?"

"People who are preparing a case to shut them down, that's why you need to get out; you don't want to get taken down in the process. Cut your ties with them and go back to Elba. Please Mom," Maddie implored. "Walk away while you still can. The people who are bankrolling Veronica are not people you want to do business with."

"They're just a bunch of Italians. _Uh oh_… this isn't the Mafia is it?"

Maddie seized the opportunity of an out. "Yes! They're a splinter group and they're in business of cleaning up society through discreet social cleansing. You need to get the hell out of there. _Please!"_

"And these people are trying to shut Solace down?"

"Yes and imminently."

"I can't get out before the Gala; I have too much personally riding on that. But by Christmas?"

Maddie nodded. "Just as soon as you can." Maddie clung to something she didn't know to be true. "I'm sure they can hide you."

"Hide me? What? You mean they'll come looking for me?"

"If you know too much, they might."

"Do you think I know too much? You clearly know more than me."

"I'm not putting the case together; I'm just sending them the information. But I'm sure they'd protect you if I asked them to." It was her Mom after all and her Dad's ex-wife, surely the Cullens would do that?

"OK. The morning after the Gala I'll tell Veronica she needs to find someone else. She could even do it herself, I've introduced her to almost everyone I know." Helen took a large slug of wine. "How about you and I go away for Christmas and New Year? We could head north, go to the Arctic, see the aurora borealis."

"I'd love that. I've always wanted to see them."

"OK, well, let's do that. Give us something to look forward to whilst I try and extricate myself from this. I don't suppose your friends would want to talk to me? Perhaps there's something I know or can get hold of for them?"

"I'll ask."

"Thanks." Helen sighed. "I've been driving myself nuts wondering about all this. I feel so tired just lately. I never used to second guess myself and I'm doing that more and more. And there's this thing with your father. From nowhere it's like he's… haunting me. Everywhere I turn there's a mention of him or another blond-haired guy who looks like him. Why? After all this time, _why?_ It's been ten years."

"Eleven." Maddie corrected her.

Helen drained her glass of wine and stared at the cut glass facets as they caught the light. "He really was the man that got away." She said sadly.

Maddie suddenly felt her Mom's loneliness and went to her, putting her arm around her.

"So what's this Peter Chambers like? Do you think he's worth eight million dollars?" Helen asked.

"He's nice. Just a regular guy, got a wife and two kids. But if Michael says he's good then that's enough for me. Michael isn't prone to exaggeration. He was the one who said the Grand Canyon was neat, remember?"

"Oh yeah. No, he doesn't exaggerate; I should trust him on this. I couldn't have gotten Elba to where it is today without trusting him." Her Mom sighed again. "I should go finish those contracts."

Maddie noticed that her Mom looked weary. "I said I'd do them, that's if you trust me? You go get a bath."

"Thanks. Mafia huh? Oh if my father could hear that one he wouldn't shut up for months."

Helen stared to walk to her room. She turned back. "You can go to your friends, I was just lashing out. I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

Maddie made her way downstairs to finish off the contracts. She gasped, as in her Mom's study was Edward.

_"How did you get in?"_ She hissed.

"It's called the back door. You really shouldn't leave it unlocked. An interesting few minutes there?" Edward's tone was sardonic.

Maddie slumped into the chair. "Tell me about it. You heard all of it?"

"Yes."

"Can you protect her?"

"Yes."

Maddie's tension eased. "So she'll know about you guys too?"

"No. We can do this without involving anyone who would arouse suspicion. Knowing what you do about us is not information we give out easily. You are Daniel's daughter and that is in a different league to someone being his ex wife."

"She doesn't want to leave until after the Gala."

"That's fine. We'll take her straight from there."

"Is it really happening at the Gala?"

"Hopefully it'll be ready for then. Jane is starting to brief the legal team tomorrow. Once she's done that she'll make her way down here."

"Legal team? You have lawyers?"

"Yes."

"Human lawyers?"

"Yes."

"They know?"

"They know not to ask questions and they are handsomely rewarded for that."

"Michael Williams wants my Dad."

"I know. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that it isn't going to happen."

"I guess not."

"Although eight million dollars is a very generous offer."

"It is."

"He's worth ten though." Edward smiled.

"He's priceless – to me, anyway. So what's the next move?"

"For you, a few days of keeping a low profile. For us, we need to factor your mother into our plans and make sure that certain people aren't trying to get to you."

"Have you seen the contract?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"Alice will be looking after you for the next few days."

"Oh. OK." Maddie noticed that he'd completely failed to answer her question. "Is it that bad?"

"It's not good. But please don't worry, Alice can see any decision that affects you and can have you safe in no time."

"What about … the house across the street?"

"It's hard for Stephanie to keep things from Daniel, but she knows she has to. Right now, the absolute worst thing would be for your father to hunt down Diego, and if he knew about this, he would have no option but to do so."

"Why?"

"As I said, vampires are protective of their children."

"Even me?"

"What do you mean even you? What do you think he's been trying to do for the last eleven years, other than find some way of getting back to you? You are his eldest daughter; there is nothing he wouldn't do for you. I just don't want him doing it right now. As for Kate, she won't come near you."

"Not even at school? "

"No."

"How are you going to manage that?"

Edward came over and sat on the desk next to Maddie. From his pocket he produced a small metal box out of which he took a hypodermic and a set of blood sample vials. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but I need you to do something pretty unpleasant to keep Kate away from you."

Faking a period with your own blood was a new one, but Maddie could see that it had done the trick. Kate came running down the hallway to her the next morning, but stopped a few yards away as if she'd run into a wall. Maddie saw her hand fly to her mouth and the expression of alarm register on her sister's face. She smiled sadly and Kate nodded the unspoken agreement that they'd have to spend the next few days apart. In class too Jory sat elsewhere, having come up to her earlier, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, it's too strong for me." He whispered. "Please don't be upset if I have to duck out the room."

Maddie couldn't quite understand the logic, in making the likely target of a vampire attack even more attractive, by doing this. Maddie felt desperately alone, cut off from the people she most wanted to be with right now. But Edward said they needed to keep away from her. They absolutely couldn't have Kate and Jory near her if Diego tried anything. The impact on Daniel of all three of his children falling victim to Diego was not something Edward thought his adoptive son would recover from. In Alice, Maddie was putting her trust in a vampire she'd never remembered meeting and couldn't see. Maddie looked everywhere for a tell-tale pale face with gold eyes; but there was no one of that description. She was depressingly surrounded by a sea of pink skin and multi-coloured irises.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One: A Pair of Blue Eyes**

Maddie made Edward promise that she could go over to the house for Kate's birthday. The enforced separation was five days of purgatory and it was a relief to finally escape it and to hug her younger sister again, in the relative safety of the very public school yard.

"Happy Birthday!" Maddie said, from the depths of Kate's hair, which she was wearing down today. "Fifteen huh?"

Kate pulled away and grinned. "I know! I can't wait for school to be over." Kate dropped her voice. "They're all here! Well, those who can are and they're coming over tonight, you'll finally get to meet everyone!" Kate must have seen the anxiety on Maddie's face. "Oh don't worry, they love you and you'll love them too."

"They love me?" Maddie queried. "They don't know me."

"Well, no they haven't _met _you, but they've heard all about you. First from Dad and I've told them _all_ about you."

"Yes, thanks for that Kate. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to face Will."

Kate grinned. "Everyone thinks it's hilarious."

"Even his wife?"

"Oh… um… Jess'll see the funny side."

Maddie thought she heard Kate mutter _'eventually'_ under her breath. She didn't like the sound of that.

It had been an eerily quiet few days. The quiet that you know precedes a storm, or all hell breaking loose. Maddie would've felt better if _something _had happened, but every day passed as unremarkably as the one before it. She remained in a constant state of anxiety. At every moment she imagined Diego showing up in class, in the school yard, or as her car was stopped at an intersection; ready to unleash whatever punishment he had devised for breaking the contract with Jasper. Perhaps he should've told her what her side of the bargain was? And then she remembered that she hadn't exactly been thinking straight enough that night, to have asked for a copy of the agreement. She'd still been reeling from Dionne's bombshell, that her Dad was a vampire. That seemed like forever ago and now here she was, sat by her brother, in a class being taught by a vampire, who was also her Dad's second wife. Exactly how had this happened?

_"You did wish for it."_ Her subconscious prompted. _"Over a birthday cake with candles." _ There was no denying that.

At lunch, Maddie filed out of class sandwiched between Angel and Jory. She was anxious about meeting everyone this afternoon and could really do with speaking to Jory alone; but Angel seemed to have developed limpet-like tendencies and would not leave them in peace. An idea suddenly occurred to her.

"I'll catch you up." She said to Jory and Angel. "I need to see Mr Hardy."

Maddie headed off in the opposite direction and then doubled back when Jory and Angel were out of sight. She jogged back to Stephanie's room and hesitantly peeked around the door.

Stephanie looked up.

"Are you alone?" Asked Maddie.

"Yes. I take it this isn't about today's class?"

"No. Family stuff."

"Come in, close the door."

Maddie did that, grabbed a chair and sat at Stephanie's desk.

"I can tell that you're worried. Is it about meeting the rest of them?"

"Yes."

"What in particular is worrying you?"

"Well…." Maddie looked around. "I'll be the only…"

Stephanie grinned and placed a cold hand over Maddie's. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I know how you feel and there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm the newest one and I'm the one who is likely to struggle the most. The rest of them have been doing it for much longer and in Carlisle's case, centuries. You are already part of the family and have been from the moment Daniel joined them. They've always been interested in any little nugget of information that came out about you. The pictures that Daniel managed to get, the articles in _San Francisco Life_, they've pored over them. Just because you didn't know that you were one of us doesn't make you any less of a Cullen. We're nothing other than a family, made up of fourteen vampires, three other humans, four hybrids, an angel, a nephilim, a guy who can turn into a wolf, plus Ness and Jake's kids. I don't quite know what you call kids who are mostly human, can turn into wolves at will and have several vampire traits. Species doesn't matter, family does and you are most definitely one of us."

"But… what about Jess?"

Stephanie laughed. "What about Jess?"

"Won't she be angry that I thought her husband was attractive?"

"No. She may tease you mercilessly about it, but she won't be angry."

Maddie smiled with relief.

"She will rip you apart though you if you hurt Ben. But I would do the same if anyone hurt Jory, or Kate, or you."

"But I'm not your daughter."

"You're Daniel's daughter and when we got married, whatever was mine became his and whatever was his became mine. I would fight as hard for you as I would for your brother and sister. I'm sure Edward must've told you how protective we are of our children?"

Maddie shook her head in disbelief. "This all sounds so unbelievably utopian. How come so many of you get along without fighting or… ripping each other's heads off?"

"That's easy. Carlisle. Wait until you meet him." Stephanie took both of Maddie's hands. "Please don't worry about this."

"It's hard not to. For the last eleven years it's just been me and Mom; and now you're saying I'm part of a family of, what, twenty eight?"

"Twenty nine. Don't forget yourself."

Maddie's shoulders slumped.

"Hey. Where's the fighter gone? This isn't the Maddie I've come to love; the girl who would stare the world straight in the eye before giving it the mother of all kicks."

"Things have changed. I think I'd break my foot if I kicked one of you guys."

"You would."

"I can't fight against that."

"Nobody's asking you to fight. In fact, nobody will be asking you to do anything other than eat birthday cake. Can you do that?"

"Has Dad made it?" Maddie asked. The thought of tucking into an enormous slice of her Dad's cake would be worth feeling intimidated for.

Stephanie laughed. "Oh no, Kate's having nothing so prosaic. She called Esmé up months ago and asked her to make something special. Amazingly, Kate has remained tight-lipped on the design, even though she's managed to spill everyone else's secrets in the meantime."

"What do you think it is?"

"I have no idea. Sometimes I really do worry what's in that girl's head."

Whatever it was, it was under a shiny metal dome on the counter top in the kitchen of a deserted house. Maddie had done a quick change and rushed back across the street, expecting to run into a house full of vampires; but there was no one else here other than Jory, Kate and herself. Even her Dad was out; his car was gone from the drive. Maddie stayed downstairs whilst Kate and Jory went to get changed. She wandered into her Dad's study, looking at the photographs on his desk. One was of him and Stephanie on their wedding day. Like Edward in his own wedding picture, her Dad's pale colouring was very noticeable against Stephanie's human skin. The other one was new and was of her, Jory and Kate. Stood next to each other, the resemblance was uncanny; they were their father's children and no mistake. Jory had light brown hair, but both Maddie and Kate had similar dark hair, with Kate almost looking like a mini version of her Mom. How had she ever thought that Kate and Stephanie weren't related? It was both a shock and a thrill to realise that she fitted exactly into this family, as if there'd always been a Maddie-shaped hole in it.

She had a scout about, opening the desk drawers and being stunned at how ordinary everything was. Her Dad was a vampire for God's sake, what the heck did he need with filing cabinets full of documents and drawers full of pens and paper clips? This house was shockingly normal. She carried on nosing about, moving out of his office and back through the first floor of the house. There was not one thing that she wouldn't find in her own house. Plates, bowls, saucepans, cleaning stuff, laundry detergent, ant killer; all the stuff you'd find in any other family home. Could she have imagined the whole vampire thing? Kate and Jory were still upstairs, so she went up and pushed the door open on her Dad and Stephanie's bedroom. It was just an ordinary bedroom – but for people who didn't sleep. The bed was made up with pillows and a regular quilt set and the bedside tables held lamps, clocks and books. She pushed open a door and walked in to a closet that was no bigger than her own, but yet two people were sharing it. Her Dad's clothes hung to the left and Stephanie's to the right. Maddie pulled open the top drawers on the right hand side to reveal a neatly arranged selection of bras. Underneath was a drawer of panties and stockings, beneath that a drawer of socks and thick winter tights. Exactly the kind of thing you'd find in the drawers of a woman who had two teenage children and worked as a teacher. There wasn't even a hint of sexy underwear anywhere. On the left hand side; there was a drawer of boxer shorts, one of socks and one of belts and ties all neatly curled up in compartments. She pulled open her Dad's bottom drawer and found that it contained eight black leather boxes. Maddie picked one up and opened it. Inside, nestling in a hollow of crimson velvet was a silver cylinder on a chain. The top of the cylinder was stamped DJMC. Maddie opened another box and found the same thing, but in gold. She opened a third and found a crystal star; the gold top of which was again stamped DJMC. The necklace was stunningly beautiful and Maddie couldn't help but lift it from the red velvet. She held it up to the light and within it she saw what looked like silver liquid, almost like the star was filled with mercury. She tilted the star to the left and the right and the liquid moved, a slight sluggishness indicating that it was more viscous than water. It was the first bit of weird she'd found in this house. She replaced the necklace in the box and tried another; it was a silver cylinder, while another box contained yet another gold cylinder.

"Are you going to poke about in my stuff all night or are you going to come and say hello to everybody?"

The shock of her Dad's voice made Maddie's head spin around so fast that she overbalanced and sprawled on her backside on the floor of the closet.

Her Dad laughed and held out a hand. "Come on, they're all desperate to meet you."

Maddie pointed at the still open drawer. "You have a drawer full of pendants."

"I know."

"What are they for?"

"Can I explain later? There's a five year old downstairs virtually chewing her way through the kitchen counters, because she wants to blow out the candles on her cake."

Maddie took her Dad's hand and he gently pulled her to her feet. "The… rest of the family are downstairs?"

"Yes."

"All of them?"

"Nearly all."

"I didn't hear them come in?"

"It's a skill we have." Her Dad said, with a gleam in his eye.

Maddie's heart went into overdrive and her stomach tried to leave through the floor.

"Hey, come on. Stephanie's already told me how nervous you are about this and you have no need to be. They've know about you for as long as they've known me. You have always been in the equation."

"There's a lot of them." Maddie whispered.

"Stephanie, Jory, Kate, Jasper and Edward are downstairs; you know them and Ben's on his way."

"Ben's coming?" Maddie cut her Dad off.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Yes, why wouldn't he be? He's family."

"Uh… no reason." Maddie went scarlet.

Her Dad snickered and ran a cool finger across her hot cheek. Maddie grabbed his hand and pressed the palm of his hand to her face feeling the heat of her cheek ebb away under her Dad's cool skin. She lifted his other hand to her face.

"It's like warming my hands by a fire." He whispered, smiling at her. Slowly he folded her into his arms and held her close; Maddie pressed her right cheek up against the cool skin of her Dad's neck and took deep breaths to calm herself. Over his shoulder she caught sight of Edward.

"I've been sent to find out what's keeping you." He smiled.

Maddie pulled away from her Dad. "Last minute nerves."

Kate's voice echoed up from below. "Maddie, come_ on!_" She yelled. _"I wanna eat this cake!"_

Edward held out his arm. "After you."

Maddie walked out of the closet and to the bedroom door.

"I know what you're going to say."

Maddie turned back at the almost whispered comment from her Dad. He ran his fingers through his hair. He sounded sad.

Edward clapped his hand on her Dad's shoulder. "Good, 'cause that was a close one."

It was at that moment that Maddie understood that there could be all the paperclips and pens in the world, that wasn't what made this family different. It was the fact that they were likely to have a hard time being inches away from your wildly pulsing jugular.

"Holy _fuck._" She said weakly as she realised what she'd just done. No, what her Dad had just done. She reversed backwards out of the room.

"Oh no…" Said Edward.

But Maddie had already bolted to the top of the stairs, tried to run down them and slipped, falling on her hip, sliding the rest of the way down and coming to rest in an inelegant heap at the bottom. She hoisted herself back to her feet.

"Maddie!" Her Dad was there, his hands on her shoulders.

"Get the fuck _off!_" She snapped, shrugging away from him and trying her best to walk with some measure of dignity to the front door.

"I'm sorry. Please don't go."

"You tried to fucking bite me, Dad!"

"I did not, I just got too close. Please don't go."

In the doorway into the family room a crowd of unfamiliar faces appeared, looking at her.

"And what the fuck are you all looking at?" Maddie spat.

Kate ducked out of the group and came into the hall. "You can't go," she protested. "It's my _birthday!"_ Behind her Jory appeared.

"The place is crawling with fucking vampires, I can't deal with this. I'll see you tomorrow. Sorry Kate."

Maddie flung open the front door and came face to face with a pair of blue eyes to drown in. The intensity of them made her gasp and forget herself. "Fuck!" she exclaimed and took a step backwards. But then a blonde-haired vampire, who looked not a day older than she did and had eyes like lasers was instantly in her face.

"Nice welcome." She snapped, in no accent Maddie had ever heard before. The vampire looked up above Maddie's head. "Brown hair, blue eyes and a gob we can hear half way down the street? She has to be one of your daughters Daniel?"

Maddie heard a chuckle from her Dad. He was stood behind her. "Yes. This is Maddie."

"Pleased to meet you Maddie." And the blonde vampire shocked her to the core by kissing her on the cheek. "I'm Jess. Ben's Mum and Will's _wife_."

Maddie mouthed words that wouldn't come.

"Fuck?" Suggested Jess.

Maddie gave a lame nod.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two: Honey to the Bee**

"Mum, stop it, you're scaring her." Said Ben, inserting himself between the two women. He took Maddie's hand and gently pulled her to the side. All the while Jess held the human girl spellbound in a gaze that Maddie couldn't break. Finally, with an exaggerated close of her eyes, Jess released her, causing Maddie to slump back against Ben. His hands or someone's hands were there to catch her. In front of her stood her Dad, contrition etched on his face.

"Please don't go, Maddie." He said. "It was a stupid thing to do. Around you I keep forgetting I'm not human anymore."

Out of the corner of her eye Maddie saw Jory move into view.

"So Dad did something monumentally stupid?" he said. "Same old, same old." Jory shrugged. "He's trying to make up for the last eleven years. He got it wrong, go easy on him. Stay, eat cake. Eat _lots _of cake. There are only three of us who can."

Maddie looked at her Dad. He looked like the heart he didn't have was breaking.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked him.

"Sure."

"In private?"

"You'll need to go to Sausilito for that." Replied Jory.

She gave Jory the finger and Jess gave a cackle.

"A girl who knows how to put her brother in his place, I like it." Jess narrowed her eyes and gave an appraising look at Maddie. "Hmm…" She said before turning to Ben and jabbing him in the shoulder. "I want a word with you." She indicated to the living room. "In there."

Jess moving away revealed a tall, blond, slightly rumpled looking man. And Maddie realised in an instant who this was.

"Hello Maddie." Said Will, his two words sounded like chocolate.

"Hello." She replied, or tried to. Her vocal chords decided only to push out a squeaky " …lo."

Will turned to Daniel. "Good to see you both together at last."

"Yeah, not that anything I'm doing is helping that."

Will clasped him on the shoulder and turned to Maddie. "Give him a chance, he's a good guy."

Maddie felt Will was waiting for an acknowledgement. She nodded. The rest of the family melted away leaving just her and her Dad standing in the hall.

"I'm sorry, for putting you at risk. I just want to…" He tailed off and dropped his head, pushing his hands into his pockets. He'd held her plenty of times before, what was different here?

"What went wrong?" She asked.

"I tried to hug you whilst you were anxious and blushing. It's a… dangerous combination. I just want to be a real Dad to you."

"You are a real Dad to me."

"But the times you need me the most, the times when I'd want to be with you and help you, are the times that I'm going to struggle to be around you. Like now for instance."

"What do you mean?"

"You fell down the stairs, I want to comfort you but I can smell the bruise on your hip."

Maddie put her hand on her left hip, feeling its soreness. She pulled at her waistband, yanked the shirt out of her pants and there, sure enough, was the bruise. It made an inappropriate giggle burst out of her mouth. She tucked her shirt back in and turned to her shocked-looking Dad. "You can _smell_ a bruise?"

"Yes. Your blood is very close to the surface."

"And you can't touch me when I cut myself or get a bruise?"

"I can, it just takes a moment to focus in the right place. What happened earlier, well… I let my focus drift."

"So this is mind over matter?"

"Pretty much, yes. My head needs to be in control of the situation. It needs to over-ride my instincts."

Maddie could see the battle clear on his face. "Can you hold me right now?"

He nodded. "Yes."

She didn't wait to be asked, she went straight to him, butting her forehead up against his chest and feeling those strong cool arms pull her tightly in like before. So what if she was covered with metaphorical honey and he was the bee; he was her Dad and she had spent eleven years wanting to do this. They stood silently in the hallway for several moments, Daniel stroked her hair and Maddie wound her own arms around his waist, gripping him as tightly as she could.

"We should go in." He whispered. "Kate has her cake and she wants to eat it."

Maddie's heartbeat picked up. "I was just incredibly rude to them all."

"They'll forgive you."

"I'm still nervous."

Daniel pulled her away and held her by the shoulders. He flashed a wonderful smile. "Why? You've already met Jess and she was the one you were worried about. Everybody else will be a breeze."

And Will, she'd met Will. And Ben had rescued her from his Mum. The scarlet returned. Her Dad took a step back.

"I need to give you a moment." He said.

Maddie covered her cheeks with her own hands but they were too warm. "I could do with your hands again."

"It'll fade, give it a minute."

Maddie chose a convenient wall and pushed her cheek against it, feeling the glorious cool of the plaster. "This is going to get irritating." She said, feeling that her propensity to colour in the face of embarrassment was going to be a major stumbling block with this branch of her family. She felt her Dad's hands on her shoulder.

"It's OK, I can cope now." He said.

"But… The rest?"

"Are more practised at it than I am."

"Are you more sensitive to it then they are?"

"The transition isn't easy and I just made a stupid mistake. I hope you can forgive me?"

Maddie nodded.

The impatient face of Kate appeared. She glared at her older sister.

"OK, OK. I'll come meet your big, scary vampire family." Maddie replied.

Kate grinned.

Maddie stepped through into the family room. Kate was on her left and her Dad stood behind, his hands rested on her shoulders.

"Everyone!" Called Kate. "This is Maddie. Maddie this is… everyone. Well, not quite. You'll meet the others later."

Maddie looked at her sister. "In the history of crap introductions, I believe we've reached a new low. _Everyone?_ Like Thing 1 and Thing 2 in _Dr Seuss?"_

The sarcasm in Maddie's voice took Kate a little aback and a low chuckle went through the other people in the room.

"I was just introducing you." Kate's shoulders fell.

"I know, but it's customary to use people's names. Who's he for instance?"

Maddie pointed at a slim, blond-haired boy no older than herself. He was perched on the back of the sofa.

"That's Dan."

"And?"

"What do you mean, 'and?'"

"I mean tell me something about him."

"Ah he's…um… married to Jane and they have two girls. Sophie who's eight and Anyu who's five."

"Good. And which one's Jane?"

"Me." Said the tiny and _very _young girl leaning against the sofa next to him.

"You're _Jane?_" Said Maddie with incredulity. This was the famous vampire who was over twelve hundred years old?

"Yes. Why, is there a problem?" Said Jane.

"No, I was just expecting someone… older."

"You were expecting Yoda, right?"

Another laugh went around everyone.

"Um… No." Maddie said backtracking. "I know vampires don't age." This was not going well.

"Perhaps Daniel would introduce everyone else." Said Edward, picking up on Maddie's internal unease.

"Sure. Edward you know," Said her Dad. "And next to him is his wife and my adopted Stepmom, Bella."

The beautiful brunette-haired vampire walked over and scooped Maddie up to embrace her. She pulled back and Maddie looked into eyes of the brightest gold.

"I've waited so long to meet you." Said Bella.

Time and again the same sentiment was expressed, as Maddie met Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper's wife Alice, Esmé and Carlisle. She met Will and Jess again and finally Dan and Jane properly. Jane not only embraced Maddie, but Daniel too.

"That long wait is over." She said. "She's here."

"I know."

Maddie looked away out of respect. She could swear her Dad would have cried if he could.

The large silver dome revealed a truly beautiful blue and white cake in the shape of a 3D star.

"How on _earth_ did you make that?" Said Stephanie as Esmé straightened up one or two of the decorations.

"It's basically a mould, but inside the cake is a metal framework."

Rosalie came over. "Oh she's gone beyond mere baking now, she _engineers_ cakes. Carlisle has been testing the structural properties of sponge."

"For real?" Stephanie looked over at Carlisle, who was sat talking to Ben.

"Yes." He replied simply.

Kate skipped over and nestled up against Stephanie as Esmé put the finishing touches to the cake. "Isn't it awesome, Mom?"

"Yes, although next time, could you keep your cake requests to this side of gravitationally possible, please?"

"Esmé can make _anything_." Kate sighed and looked at Esmé with adoration.

"Gather round everyone." Called Esmé. "She produced a lighter and, starting at the top, lit candles on five of the branches of the star.

Kate looked like she was going to explode with happiness, as the group sang happy birthday in a perfect four-part harmony. That made Maddie giggle and Ben caught her eye and grinned broadly. She blushed so furiously that she felt luminous.

_"Oh shit,"_ she mumbled under her breath and dropped her head, feeling suddenly very light-headed. A firm hand was there to catch her as she took a couple of steps and fainted into cool arms.

Maddie came to, lying on one of the sofas in the living room. Edward was there and behind him her Dad, holding a glass of water. In the doorway was Ben. Their eyes met.

Maddie sat up and took the water from her Dad. She sipped it, her eyes constantly going to Ben.

"I think she's OK." Said Edward.

"You sure? You feel OK?" Her Dad asked.

"Yeah." Said Maddie, overly brightly. She took a big slug of water and some of it went down the wrong way, causing her to cough and splutter uncontrollably. Her Dad rubbed and patted her back. Maddie pulled away. "I'm not a baby, don't need winding." She coughed.

"Would you let me care for you instead of being Little Miss Porcupine all the time?" He said with mock irritation.

"She's prickly because we're in the way." Said Edward, indicating with a flick of his head to Ben stood in the doorway.

Daniel sighed. "And just like that I'm discarded."

"Better get used to it." Edward sighed. "Daughters cut loose early."

As Daniel and Ben passed one another there was a symmetry of raised eyebrows, as if unspoken questions had been wordlessly asked and answered. Edward laughed.

Ben strode over to the sofa where Maddie was sitting. "Sorry about my Mum," He said. "She doesn't know the meaning of the word tact." He smiled and sat down beside her. "Feeling better now?"

Maddie nodded. "Yes, thanks."

"So you know? All of it? All about us? All about me?"

"I know you're a hybrid; that you're called Ben and you drive a blue BMW. Your Dad's American and fought in the Civil War, your Mom's English and…"

"_Came down in the last shower_!" Shouted Jess, cutting Maddie off and sticking her head around the door. She grinned at the two of them.

There was a growl from Ben.

"Oh, am I embarrassing you, my little baby boy?" Jess said walking over to Ben.

Will appeared in the doorway. "Jess. Leave the poor kid alone."

"I haven't seen him for three weeks."

"Mum you saw me this afternoon and yes, you _are _embarrassing me. Dad?"

Will walked up behind Jess, put his arm around her and pulled her back into him. He nuzzled her neck and a Jess gave a low growl of her own. Will began to run his hands over his wife's body, making her respond in ways that felt far too intimate to be in close proximity of. Maddie looked at Ben but he was oblivious to his parents; but not to the slowly increasing heat in Maddie's cheeks. He shifted uncomfortably; Will and Jess broke off and looked at her. Maddie felt like the elephant in the room. Why couldn't she control herself? Why did this idiot woman keep jumping all over her fledgling efforts to date her son? And why was Maddie still here anyway?

"I'd better go." She said, standing up and walking out of the left hand door into the hall. She pulled on her shoes, grabbed her bag and had the front door part way open before Ben pushed it shut.

"Don't go."

"I don't fit in here." Maddie replied. "I cause everyone problems and I don't get your Mom, or your Mum. She doesn't like me."

"She does like you. It's just that her way of showing it, is to be sarcastic. She'll back off in time."

"Well there's the whole blood thing. This isn't going to work." Maddie pulled open the door again and strode down the drive.

"So that's it?" Ben said, striding after her. "You're not even going to try and see if there's a thing here?"

"How can we? Every time I blush or my heart rate escalates, you or somebody else is gonna wanna kill me!"

"Will you two get back in _here!_" Hissed Stephanie from the door.

Maddie and Ben remained exactly where they were.

"That's not true." Ben said gently. "The first time I met you, your heart rate was considerably more elevated than it is now and did you notice anything odd about me?"

"No." Maddie replied.

"I _can_ control myself. Hybrids have skills that the others don't."

"But you were looking at my cheeks."

"Yes I was. But only because I think you're beautiful and I can't take my eyes off you."

It should have sounded hokey but it didn't. Ben's voice couldn't make anything sound hokey. Maddie blinked at him soundlessly. Every brain cell she possessed was turning to its neighbour and asking if he really had just said that she was beautiful?

Ben took a step towards her. "I know it's not going to be easy and with the restrictions on our movements, it's going to be a tough few days; but, would you… like to go out with me?"

Maddie tried to reply, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat. "Yes." She coughed. "Yes." She repeated.

A small smile started at the corner of Ben's mouth and didn't stop until his entire face was radiating his delight.

"Cool! _Ach_, bad choice of word." He said.

"It's OK." Maddie gave a nervous laugh.

"You going to come back inside?" He asked.

"Yes."

"OK."

Neither of them moved. Maddie felt drops of rain hit her face but she was too wrapped up in Ben's eyes to be overly bothered about getting wet. It started to rain harder and Ben's face began to glisten; raindrops began to run down her face, but still neither one of them moved. Or may be she had done? Was she closer now? She was and her eyes moved from Ben's eyes to his lips, wet with raindrops and parted slightly, just waiting to be… Maddie's lips obeyed what the rest of her was telling them to do and she momentarily tasted the rain, before giving up her cognitive processes to the moment and the kiss.

After what felt like forever, they broke apart. Maddie was soaking wet and the rain had plastered Ben's hair to his head. Raindrops dripped from their noses and Ben lifted a finger to touch her lips.

"So soft." He murmured pulling Maddie's bottom lip down a little.

"The rain tastes sweet." She whispered.

Ben smiled.

By the side of them someone cleared their throat. It was Alice, buried in the depths of an umbrella.

"I'm sorry to break the mood, but we have business to discuss. Maddie?" Alice held out her hand and Maddie took it. In the doorway, a large contingent of grinning faces indicated that their private moment hadn't been so very private after all.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three: Team Cullen**

Maddie, hair still damp from the rain and dressed in a pair of Stephanie's sweatpants and a sweatshirt, crowded around the central kitchen console with everyone else. In front of her, Jane had a large tablet screen which she swiped and tapped to open and place documents.

"Jenks has everything he needs and he's ready to go." She announced. "I've gotten him a ticket to the gala and provided him with a generous working capital, so he can bid along with everyone else and not arouse suspicion."

Jane spoke with an authority that seemed at first unsettling from someone so young. But nobody else seemed to have such qualms and Carlisle was nodding in agreement.

"A wise move." He said. "He's going alone?"

"Yes. His daughter Miranda is also in the city, but for safety they will not be at the Mark Hopkins together. Miranda is his successor and I hope after this, that Bella will have an opportunity to meet her. I have already found her to be a competent lawyer and able to continue to supply us with other services as and when required."

"Forgery." Ben whispered to Maddie. "Bella arranges all that."

Jane looked at Maddie. "I'm sure you appreciate that as I don't possess a birth date in the last millennium, getting myself a passport is not a straightforward affair."

Maddie nodded that she understood.

"There is now the issue of Maddie's mother." Jane continued. "Immediately after the Gala finishes, the fire alarm and sprinkler systems will activate, so that the hotel can be legitimately cleared. Maddie, you need to tell your Mother that this part of the plan; impress on her just how important it is that she does not delay in getting to the car. You will be taken straight to the airport and out of the city. OK?"

"OK." Replied Maddie. "Where to?"

"Safety. And that, for your own safety is all I'm telling you. We will come and get you when this is all over. Until then, you stay where you land. Don't try and call any of us and don't try and leave to go any place else. We will contact you when we can and come and get you, OK?"

"Yes."

"For the duration of the Gala you will be Helen's dutiful daughter, doing your bit to part the rich of the city from their cash. I'm not going to tell you who Jason is, because I don't want you drawing undue attention to him. Veronica must not know what is going to happen or else we won't get this to work."

"It's legally watertight?" Asked Emmett.

"I have them on seventeen counts, from tax evasion to pre-meditated murder. Yes, it's legally watertight. As soon as Jenks gets up to speak, similar dossiers will be transmitted to London, Sofia and Rome. Shutting London and Sofia down will be easy. Volterra…" Jane tailed off.

"They have no idea?" Asked Jasper of Alice.

"Nothing that I can see." She replied.

"Isn't this just unleashing the forces of hell on ourselves, is it?" Said Will.

"Aro doesn't enjoy the support he once did." Replied Jane. "But he's the only one we need concern ourselves with. Caius and Marcus are not interested in anything other than themselves. It's only Aro who is obsessed with us."

"What about their wives?" Asked Bella. "Jane you worked with them, you consider them friends."

"Bella, you know as well as anyone that things change. I'm a Mom now, I see the world differently and I see humans differently. They're savvy women; they'll go to ground and re-group."

"So you're not expecting a wave of revenge attacks on us?" Asked Jess. "I'm with Will on this; I don't want to cut off one head and have forty seven grow in its place."

"It won't."

"Ja…"

"Jess," Jane interrupted. "If I have to kill Aro with my bare hands, to convince you, then I'll do it!" Jane snapped. "But right now, the focus is on shutting these centers down. We'll deal with Aro when he resurfaces, at some point in the future. But not today. OK?"

"OK."

"He's not getting within a thousand miles of Sophie and Anyu and I wouldn't let him get any closer than that to Ben. He's weak Jess. Sulpicia's put him back in nominal charge, but things are different. If we strike now, they'll scatter. Aro does not have the authority to hold them together as he used to. Please trust me on this, I've done my research."

"I do trust you. But Aro's one slimy bastard and whatever we try and hit him with just doesn't stick. I'm beginning to think he's made of Teflon." Said Jess.

"We won't get him with this, this is about dispersing the Volturi." Said Jane. "Taking Aro out once and for all is a job for another day. OK? Let's move on. We need to be clear about the Gala."

"So none of us will be in the Mark Hopkins?" Emmett asked.

Jane shook her head. "No. Humans only, for obvious reasons."

"So who's activating the fire alarm?" Asked Bella.

"It's already programmed. I did it myself, yesterday." Replied Jane.

"When?" Asked Dan, looking slightly stunned.

"When I went to collect the dry cleaning."

Dan looked around. "Does anyone else's wife do random stuff behind their backs?"

Every married man in the room raised his hand.

"Oh, not just me then." Dan added and rolled his eyes.

Jane looked at her husband with amusement. "May I continue?"

"You usually do." Dan flashed a smile.

"Moving on." Jane smiled and opened more documents on her tablet.

Maddie noticed that the comic interlude hadn't diluted the tension in the room.

"The house and the den." Jane continued. "I've split us into two groups. Edward, you'll lead the team going to the house and with you will be Bella, Carlisle, Esmé and Stephanie. Neutralise whoever you find there and join us at the den as soon as you can. Jasper, you will lead the assault on the den, with Alice, Emmett, Rose, Jess, Will, Dan and myself. That's where the greater concentration of the coven will be, so we need the larger team there." Jane looked up. "Daniel, I haven't committed you to either team. I know how you feel about this so this is your call. House, den or neither. We'll respect your decision whatever you choose to do."

Maddie looked at her Dad; he was staring down at the counter top.

"The den." He said.

Stephanie put her arms around him.

"Are you sure?" Asked Jane.

Daniel looked straight at her, his shoulders and chin suddenly lifted. He looked imperious and magnificent and Maddie felt slightly in awe of him.

"Yes. Diego and I have… unfinished business."

Maddie exchanged a momentary glance with Jasper and another with Edward.

"Alright." Jane continued. "I have layouts for both locations, please familiarise yourself with them. Daniel, if I could ask you to share anything you think might be useful to us that would be great. That's all."

"What about us three?" Asked Ben, indicating to Jory and Kate beside him.

"You're staying here." Said Jane.

"What? _No!_ I can fight, I'm nine years old, I'm fully grown!"

"No." Said Jane "This is a massive coven of full vampires; we are not putting you at risk."

Ben grabbed at his neck, pulling from his t-shirt a gold cylinder, the same as Maddie had seen in her Dad's drawer upstairs. "We have these! I can stay with Dad, Jory can stick with Daniel."

"I don't want to stay home alone." Grumbled Kate. "Can't I at least go to the Gala?"

There was a chorus of "No."

"Ben, I'm not risking it." Said Jess.

"Mum, you insisted that Jasper teach me how to fight; so why, when it comes to it, won't you let me play my part? We have phials, Dad'll be there, it'll be OK. I want to fight!"

"No!" Said Jess.

"Dad?" Ben appealed.

"Your Mum and I are united on this issue. I'm sorry, it's a no."

"It's not _fair!"_ Raged Ben. "Why bother wasting Jasper's time training us, if you won't let us fight? You wanted us to know how to do it, so why can't we come with you?"

Maddie noticed that Will had surreptitiously wound an arm around Jess and in looking at her face; Maddie saw that Jess was struggling with deep emotion.

"Something's happened." Said Jory, quietly and gravely. "What's changed?"

"Jennifer's dead." Said Rose softly. "A full vampire tore her apart. It would seem that you can't put hybrids back together again."

You could hear a pin drop as around the room Maddie saw sadness on each vampire's face. There was a sniff from Kate and she darted over to Stephanie for comfort. Maddie wished someone would explain who Jennifer was.

"When Ness was born," Edward started; "we knew nothing about hybrids. We thought she was unique. But thanks to the diligence of Jasper and Alice, we discovered that a small group of other hybrids do exist, in the Amazon. Jennifer was one of those and over the last few years we've gotten to know them a little. About two months ago now, we got word from Nahuel, Jennifer's brother, that Jennifer had been killed by a full vampire. Pull any full vampire apart and as long as you don't burn the pieces, you can put them straight back together again. It doesn't work that way for hybrids and so we've taken the decision not to allow our children to fight." Edward paused. "Ben? Jory? Kate? We have every confidence that if it was one-on-one that you could handle it. But with a coven of this magnitude, we are not willing to risk it. So we ask that you remain here."

"OK." Said Ben, grudgingly and fed the gold cylinder back into his t-shirt.

There was an awkward silence.

"Do you think it hurt?" Asked Kate of her Mom.

"I don't know." Stephanie replied, almost in a whisper. "Nahuel wasn't with her when it happened."

"I'll stay here and watch a movie." Kate said.

Stephanie pulled her daughter closer to her and rested her head on Daniel's shoulder.

"So, we have five days to lie low in the city." Jane said, bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. I've done my best to make it impossible for the authorities in each city not to act to stop the centers. Miranda has back up copies with her and there are another set in Seattle. It goes without saying that once he completes the task, Jenks will be under our constant protection until we get the San Francisco coven neutralised. His evacuation plans are separate to Helen and Maddie's, but no less safe. And that's all for now." Jane looked at Kate. "I'm sorry that you're upset about Jennifer; it isn't news any of us wanted to hear but we don't want to lie to you. We want to keep you safe, because we love you all and we couldn't bear it if that happened to any of you. You are so precious to this family. Now, I'm sure there are a few others who want to say Happy Birthday to you." Jane smiled warmly. "Jory, could you make the call, please?"

Jory went over the to TV screen.

"Time to meet the rest of the family." Ben said. He didn't look as confident as before.  
"That's sad about Jennifer." Maddie said.

"Yeah. Not something I want to think about to be honest."

"What's that thing around your neck?"

"This?" Ben pulled out the gold phial. "It's a shot of my Dad's venom. Our father's venom works like an antidote should we get bitten. Ness, Kate, Jory and I wear one at all times."

Maddie picked up the gold cylinder and twirled it in her fingers. Just like the cylinders upstairs, it was stamped, but this one said WRC. "Your Dad's initials?" She asked.

"Yes. Pretty critical that we get the right venom."

"Why?"

"If we poured the wrong venom in we'd turn into full vampires. Well, we think we would."

"You think?"

"Nobody's ever done it. But based on what happened to Ness when she didn't get Edward's venom in time, it seems to suggest that's what will happen."

"How long do you have?"

"About three and a half minutes."

The sound of a dog yapping made Maddie look up at the screen. It wasn't a dog, it was…

"Is that a wolf cub?" Maddie asked pointing to the screen.

Ben turned around and laughed with the others as the tiny wolf cub pawed frantically at the screen. "No, that's Izzy." He said.

Edward and Bella went over to stand in front of the screen, as to Maddie's amazement, right in front of her eyes, the wolf cub phased into a small naked girl of around three years old. Her dark brown eyes were framed by masses of dark brown hair. The little girl splatted her hand on the screen and on this side Bella did the same.

"Nana!" Izzy called, her voice filling the room. Everyone moved forward to find a space to sit. Maddie sat between Ben and Jory.

"Hey sweetheart!" Said Bella. "Where's everyone else?"

Just then another wolf cub appeared and Izzy wrapped her arm around it, holding it to her. "I don't know. I think EJ broke something. Mommy shouted at him. Again."

There was a smattering of laugher and the wolf cub tried to wriggle free. Izzy kept a firm hold.

"Is that another child?" Maddie whispered to Ben.

"No, that's a real wolf. That's Zozie, Izzy's pet."

"She has a pet wolf?"

Ben looked back at her as if she was a little slow on the uptake. "Yeah, she's part wolf, why wouldn't she?"

"But she's, like, three years old."

"Eighteen months actually."

There was a commotion behind Izzy and suddenly the huge screen was filled with three more children's faces and Edward and Bella were touching hands with each child in turn. There was a jabber of excitement from them all as each one vied for attention from Edward and Bella.

"The other girl is Sarah, she's the oldest." Ben explained. "She's seven, but looks ten. The boy next to her is EJ, Edward Jacob. He's five but looks seven. Billy Junior is three and Izzy's eighteen months old. These are Ness and Jake's kids."

"They look Native American."

"That's 'cause Jake is Native American."

"Oh." Maddie looked at each child in turn, or tried to in the seething mass of hair and teeth and hands. All of them, even the boys, had long hair, although Sarah's looked redder, almost like Edward's. Maddie stared at them, almost mesmerised. In a way they reminded her of a four-headed beast, each child seemed to be linked in some profound way to the rest of their siblings. They moved together, they finished off each other's sentences and just didn't look… entirely human, but what they were, she couldn't say.

All of a sudden the screen cleared and an enormous Native American man sat down. This had to be Jake.

"Good evening San Francisco." He grinned.

"Surprised you're not sitting in the field with the house around your ears." Said Emmett.

Jake laughed. "That's not actually far from the truth. EJ snapped off four bolts. He forgets his own strength at times. Did you have to pick this week to do this? We could've done with your help."

"Timing Jake." Said Carlisle. It all hinges around the Gala on the thirty first.

Jake smothered an almighty yawn. "'Scuse me, moving house is exhausting work."

"So where's Ness?" Said Jess.

"She's on her way down. This house is so big we need a map."

"Can you get us all in for Christmas? You know we can't wait to see the place." Asked Jess.

"Yep, assuming you're OK with pushing aside packing crates." Jake grinned.

"You got room for my older sister?" Asked Jory and pointed to Maddie.

"Sure, sure. Hey Maddie. You found your Dad, huh?"

"Yes." She replied.

"Well, welcome to the family."

Behind him there was a blur and all of a sudden a woman landed in Jake's lap.

"Hi guys!" She said breezily. This had to be Ness, a perfect blend of Edward and Bella set in a tumble of long bronze hair. "Oh!" She gasped and Ness's hand flew to cover her mouth. "You're there!" Ness was staring right at Maddie.

From behind Maddie, hands appeared on her shoulder.

"Ness, I'd like you to meet Maddie." Said Daniel. "Maddie, this is my sister. Ness."

"Hi, pleased to meet you, or see you, or… something." Maddie said.

Ness laughed. "I am so pleased to see you. We're finally complete. I hope they haven't overwhelmed you. There are a lot of us."

Kate appeared at Maddie's side. "Maddie's dating Ben. They kissed in the rain, it was _so_ romantic."

Maddie seethed as a good-natured chuckle went around the family. "I'm assuming that your inner monologue is faulty!" she snapped, glowering at her sister.

"I think it's nice." Kate's brown furrowed. "Gives me hope that I might get a boyfriend, one day." Kate flushed with embarrassment.

"You will." Offered Maddie.

"But not just yet, OK?" Said Daniel.

Kate nodded and then turned her attention back to Jake and Ness on the screen. "Hey, Maddie and I are doing this really cool dance for the Halloween show at school…"

Kate prattled on, updating her Aunt and Uncle about what was going on in school. In time, Maddie got introduced to Dan and Jane's two girls, who were the complete opposite to Ness and Jake's slightly feral half-wolf pack. Sophie and Anyu were just regular human girls, growing up in the most extraordinary environment. That environment was no more sharply illustrated than when the face of a small russett wolf peered into view beside Anyu. The wolf gently head-butted the little girl.

"I'll play in a minute, I want to talk to Mommy and Daddy some more." Said Anyu, she looked Inuit.

The wolf yipped an acknowledgement and pawed the screen.

"Who's that?" Maddie asked Ben.

"Billy Junior. You'll get to know their colours and markings."

"And they don't mind playing with wolves?"

"It's all they've ever known." Said Ben.

Maddie was sad that she hadn't seen Kael yet; she didn't mind admitting that she was insanely curious about the angel. But Ness explained his whereabouts.

"He's checking out schools."

"What, _again?_" Asked Esmé. Is he trying to set the record for the most times he can graduate in one decade?

"No." Ness laughed. "I think he's looking to move on. We can't expect him to stick around for ever; his reality's different to ours." Ness looked a little sad. "So, everything's in place?"

"Yes." Said Jane. "We're all ready for Sunday. We'll most likely head out of the city and get out to Yosemite to hunt. "We'll try and keep in touch, but we may miss a night, so kiss the girls for us. I'm sure they don't miss us, with having their cousins to play with, twenty four seven."

"Oh they do." Said Jake. "You'll have two clingy girls when you get back."

Maddie wondered if all of them would get back.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four: Angel**

At the end of the longest and most frustrating week ever, in which Maddie had been confined to school and home and Diego _still_ hadn't made a move; Maddie stepped out of the car into a sea of photographers. The flashbulbs almost blinded her, as she and her Mom posed for pictures on the red carpet outside the Mark Hopkins. Her Mom was resplendent in magenta, while Maddie was in a fitted gown that started as the most vibrant purple corset and faded to black at the hem with matching elbow-length gloves. Maddie didn't recognise herself once the make-up artist had finished with her, but it was her own version of camouflage. One thing she absolutely did not want to do tonight was stand out. She had to be one of the _glitterati_; there were no dress pants for her tonight. Another thing she wanted to delay at all costs was Diego, making the connection between the drab girl in the den and the preened and polished woman she was here. Both she and her Mom had packed small cases, which had been taken to the airport by the security detail, who had been in place since Monday night. Maddie had found the presence of them a much scarier prospect than hanging out with a bunch of vampires. They were armed for one thing; something Maddie knew would be useless against bullet-proof vampires. But they weren't to know that.

Maddie's only contact with her family had been at school. She hadn't seen her Dad or Ben in the flesh – so to speak, but the stream of messages had been constant. But it was show time now and Maddie's only defence for the next couple of hours was the can of mace in her purse. The atomiser of skin-coating that she still hadn't remembered to hand over was stuck in the top of her left hold-up on her thigh. The last thing she needed, as she went through hotel security, was for Stuart's team to want to check out the mysterious compound she'd stolen from Veronica's bathroom. Maddie smiled for the cameras and looked about, catching sight of Veronica in the far corner of the hotel lobby. Beside her was a tall, strange-looking man with black hair, who Maddie hadn't seen before. He had the same tell-tale paleness as the Cullens. He was another vampire and a decidedly unsettled one at that. There was no sign of Steven.

Maddie worked to keep herself as far away from Veronica and the stranger as she could. She and her Mom made their way into the ballroom, flanked on both sides by photographers and TV cameras; her Mom smiling and answering questions as she went. The entire first floor was decked out in banners and swags of blue and yellow, the corporate colours of the Solace Foundation. In the ballroom to one side were a set of screens outlining the project and a scale model of the complex, which was earmarked to be built on land in the Presidio. Maddie immediately went over to look at it and even she had to marvel at the beauty of San Francisco's very own concentration camp, with a commanding view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Said Veronica. The strange male vampire was with her, he appeared to be attached to another vampire who was almost glued to the back of him. No wonder Maddie hadn't seen her before.

"Yes." Replied Maddie. "Are you really building a water-feature that big?"

Veronica gave a girlish laugh. "Yes, a little indulgence of mine. Your mother doesn't approve."

"My mom's not big on landscape architecture."

"No, but she does know a good project when she sees one." Veronica turned to her companion. "May I introduce Aro? We're so honoured that he could make it all the way over from Italy to see the launch of his latest facility. He's behind the whole Solace venture."

So this was the famous Aro.

He surprisingly extended his hand and Maddie shook it, realising that as she was wearing gloves it was safe for him, she wouldn't feel the difference of his skin.

"Miss Mitchell," He said, in a voice that sounded as pleasant as fingernails on a chalkboard. "I'm so pleased to finally meet you." He made no move to introduce the female vampire.

"Thank you," replied Maddie. "We're thrilled you could be here." Insincerity radiated from her. "Italy, huh? Aren't you a little pale for an Italian?" She flashed Aro a cheeky megawatt smile.

"Indeed. I prefer to keep out of the sun." He tapped his cheek. "It keeps my skin in good condition." His eyes did not meet hers, they were instead focussed on a point about 12" below. Aro was openly staring at her breasts. If she didn't like him before, she sure as hell didn't now.

"Excuse me!" Maddie snapped. "My eyes are up here."

Aro looked a little shocked. "I'm so sorry. It's been a while since I've seen such a… pretty girl."

"Ugh!" Maddie did not hide her irritation with him and stomped off. Creepy - assed vampire. How could anyone find him attractive?

Maddie spied Angel in the crowd and gravitated over to her. But Maddie was conscious of being under Aro's roving scrutiny and moved around the room constantly. When she saw him moving closer to her for the third time, she took the decision to head for the ladies' room. She called Jory.

"Aro's here." She whispered.

"What? _Don't shake his hand!"_ The words came out slightly too fast for her to hear first time around. "Don't shake his hand." Jory repeated.

"I did. What's the matter with that?"

"He can collect every thought you've ever had from touching your skin."

"I'm wearing gloves."

"I don't know if can collect them through fabric. Does he look like he knows everything?"

"No, but he's constantly staring at me and keeps working his way over to me."

"I think that's a sign that he hasn't got what he wanted. Don't under any circumstances let him touch your skin. I'll call one of the others. I'm surprised Alice didn't know he was here."

"He's almost stuck to another vampire."

"Ah… Mystery explained. That's Renate. She's a shield. Still, I should let them know."

Maddie returned to the ballroom a little more confident. Despite the inconvenience of Aro turning up, there were several good things about tonight and they were all sat around her table. Angel and her parents were always good people to be with and Maddie's own grandparents were here too. But only for the nice meal and the dancing; they wouldn't be bidding for outrageous weekends on Catalina and sought-after cases of thirty year old Scotch Whisky. Maddie had insisted that her Mom seat all of them together on one table.

Angel was her usual, giggly, fun self. Maddie teased her about Jory's growing fascination with her, comments that Angel strangely batted aside as an irrelevance, where just a few weeks ago she would have been thrilled to know that he was interested in her. Maddie pressed her brother's case.

"He likes you, for sure. You should go out with him, he's lovely."

"Mads, I'm not blind, I know you want him for yourself."

"Absolutely not. I've seen the way he looks at you; he thinks you're a goddess."

"And so he should," replied Angel. "Because I am." She grinned. "Though he is cute, so perhaps another time."

"Another _time? _Is there somebody I don't know about?"

The fierce blush gave Maddie all the answer she needed.

"Come with me to the Ladies' room." Said Angel.

Maddie followed Angel into the plush bathroom and touched up her make-up. Angel was a vision in pale pink satin, her gleaming gold hair cascaded in set curls over her shoulders. Maddie smiled at the reflection of them two of them. It looked like _Princess Barbie_ was hanging out with a _Bratz _doll. Maddie's dress was from one of her Mom's favoured new designers and it was doing an impressive job of making her breasts resemble barrage balloons. She'd only realised how exposed she was when it was too late to make a change. Aro's attentions had made her decide that she wouldn't be wearing this dress again. Maddie applied a cloud of Angel-dust-based perfume and layered on a fresh coat of lip gloss.

"I have a boyfriend." Said Angel, matter-of-factly.

"I guessed." Maddie replied. "So I need to tell Jory to back off?"

"For the moment, yes." Angel looked a little worried.

"What's the matter? Something wrong?"

Angel looked uncomfortable. "Not really. Well… perhaps yes. You know how things start out all kind of light and great with a guy, and then all of a sudden you're in over your head and drowning?"

"Not really."

"Oh. Well this is kind of like that. He was awesome at first and now he's just… scary. I can't shake him. He wanted to come to this of all things, but I said no."

"So what's his name?"

"David. David DaGama."

"Not from school?"

"No. He works in Norah's department." Angel didn't look at all happy.

"And you say he's scary?"

"Yeah." Angel inched closer. "Thing is," she whispered. "I don't think he's human."

Maddie couldn't help but give a slightly hysterical laugh.

"I know, right? It's stupid. I mean of _course _he's human. But he feels… _wrong_."

The world ground to a halt under her feet.

"Feels _wrong_, how?" Maddie felt ill. "Like, solid?"

"Yes!" Angel hissed. "Totally solid, like stone. Surely nobody can work out to that extent?"

Maddie's stomach felt like she'd swallowed a bowling ball, as she tried to process the likelihood of Elba employing a vampire. A voice to the side of her interrupted her thoughts, but Maddie kept staring at Angel.

"Excuse me, Miss Williams?"

"Yes?"

"Mr DaGama is outside for you."

"Oh! Thank you. Tell him I'll be right out."

Maddie had a bad feeling about who David DaGama might turn out to be and it felt like she was trying to turn the very Earth as she moved her feet to face the door. The staff member opened it and her worst fears were confirmed. It was Diego.

The staff member held the door open for him and turning her face back to Maddie, she revealed herself to be Dionne. Diego strode in, wearing a well-cut tuxedo and an untied bowtie, artfully draped around his open collared shirt.

"David!" Angel simpered.

"Angel, sweetheart." Crooned Diego.

Maddie had to work hard to stop herself from vomiting.

"I said I'd be right out, you didn't need to come in here." Angel laughed nervously.

"Oh but it's nice and private in here." Diego smiled and turned his attention to Maddie. "And who do we have here?"

As if he didn't know.

"This is my best friend, Maddie Mitchell. She's your boss's daughter."

"I'm pleased to meet you." Diego did not offer his hand. Maddie studied his face. His red irises were obscured by brown contacts and was he darker skinned than she remembered? Perhaps he'd sprayed on some of that coating stuff.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Angel.

"I came to invite you to a party, at my new place downtown, just got it today and wondered if you wanted to come. Nothing special; a few guys, a few girls, a few drinks and some good tunes to well…" Diego bobbed his head. "You know what, to."

"Oh…um."

"Come on baby, you'll enjoy it. I'll have you back here for midnight."

Dionne moved and stood facing Maddie, her face implacable. There was no possible way the two of them could fail to hear or smell the blood pumping around Maddie's body at double speed. Diego was looking at her now, his face almost daring her to dissuade Angel from going and wondering how she'd do that. Maddie didn't know, but she'd have to try. After all, Angel wasn't too wild about the guy and there was a very good reason why she was right not to be.

"I don't think you should go." Maddie said, shocking herself with her confidence.

"Angel considered that. "I think you're right. Another time maybe? Tonight's really important to Helen and Maddie and I'd like to be here to support them. I don't think it would be right to sneak out to another party."

"Hmm…That's what I thought you'd say," said Diego. "So you're coming anyway."

In a flash, Diego was gone and so was Angel. A window to the side of her banged shut and shattered.

"Oh my G…"

Dionne cut her off. "Did you think you could elude us?" Dionne stared at Maddie with irises that went from brown to red, right before her eyes. "Did you think you'd get away with it? While you were busy playing happy families with _Daddy,_ did you ever think about me? Did you ever tell him about _me?_"

"Yes, I told him about you." Maddie lied. "Where's Diego taken Angel?"

"How the fuck should I know. Forget about her, she's dead. That's your payback for breaking the agreement with whoever that vampire was that you fucked. And I don't believe that you did, because you're still standing. What did Daniel say about me?"

In all the times they'd talked, hadn't mentioned Dionne once, under Edward's orders. "Nothing, really. He's… not interested. He's married now."

"I know _that!_" Dionne exploded. "I didn't trust you, so I followed you home after school one day and I saw him in the house across the street. How _convenient_ for you that he moved right there. And then I saw_ her! _Tell me what he said about me."

"He said you were a good friend. But he loves Stephanie."

"A good _friend?_ Is that it? After all we did together? We had something. Years before _she_ had him he was _mine_. She can't have him!" Dionne was getting agitated and Maddie tried her hardest to remain calm, but was failing at that. She had to tell someone about Angel.

"Please, I need to get help for Angel."

Dionne's hand appeared around Maddie's throat and propelled her back until she was pushed up against the wall. "Forget about Angel." She said, enunciating every word. "Diego is thirsty and she's the drink. If you're very lucky, Diego might tell you were he leaves her corpse, then you can take her remains back to Mommy and Daddy."

Maddie began to cry.

Dionne sneered at her. "This is what you get when you fuck with vampires. Now you are one very lucky bitch this evening, because I'm not particularly thirsty, but I could be. So, in return for sparing your miserable life, I want to know where this Stephanie is _right now_ because she's not at home. I know, I checked. There's some more of those hybrid freaks in there. Even weirder freaks than the first one, because these freaks don't smell. Why are there no scent trails around the house?"

"I don't know." She lied, again. "Edward Cullen said he could get you out of here." She clung to something she'd never actually discussed with Edward.

"I don't want to get out of here anymore, I got a promotion, I'm a co-leader now. Diego and I want Daniel back, we're going to run the city and that bitch has what's ours." Dionne tightened her grip on Maddie's neck. "Tell me where she is, the house or the den?"

Maddie's eyes widened in shock, how did she know?

"Oh I can see that you're shocked that I know. I heard the freak show girl talking to someone on screen this evening. So tell me, has Stephanie gone to the house or to the den."

"The den."

_"Liar."_ And just as quickly as Diego had left, Dionne was gone from the bathroom and Maddie slumped to the floor in terror.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five: Venom**

Maddie took three attempts at getting "Jory" out, without stammering, before her Sirius would recognise who she wanted to call.

"Mads?" Her brother answered and Maddie couldn't speak for sobs. "What's the matter? Are you OK?"

Maddie sobbed. "A-A-Angel. Diego's taken her." Each word came out on the inward gasp of a sob.

"What? _Shit!"_

"I don't know where he's taken her." The sentence came out in a wail.

"Ben, call Kael." Jory said away from the phone. "We need him to get Demetri."

"There's more." Said Maddie, she could hear applause coming from the ballroom. "Dionne's gone after your Mom. She wants to kill her."

"Mom's with the others, she's got back-up. Our priority is Angel."

"Dionne said that Diego was going to kill her."

"We should at least try to save her, let's hope Diego plays with his food. OK, Ben's talking to Kael, he's going to get Demetri. We'll meet you outside the hotel in what, ten minutes?"

"OK." Maddie sobbed.

"Where's Aro?"

"As far as I know he's in the ballroom listening to the speeches."

"OK. Well, as long as he stays there. Oh, Maddie?"

"What?"

"Do you mind if I break into your house and steal your car?"

"No." It was the least of her worries right now.

"OK. See you in ten."

Maddie ended the call and hauled herself back to her feet. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were a red and black-smudged mess, while the very clear imprint of Dionne's hand remained around her neck. The door opened and Maddie bolted into a stall and locked the door.

"Madison?" It was her Mom.

"Yes?"

"Are you OK?"

"Uh… no. I think I ate something that disagreed with me."

"Oh. Wow it's cold in here, what's the window doing open? Oh, it's smashed. Did you do that?"

"No. It was like that when I got here."

"I'll tell Stuart. I'd better get back in there; some guy seems to be presenting a case for why we shouldn't build the Solace Center."

So Jason Jenks was doing his thing, the machinery to bring down the Volturi was in motion and Aro had a front row seat.

There was a loud gasp of shock from the ballroom.

"Oh my God what was that?" Helen bolted from the bathroom and into the unfolding horror of what Jason Jenks was telling the assembled crowd.

Maddie came out of the stall and did her best to straighten herself up, quickly wiping as much of the eye make-up off as she could. She still looked like a weeping damsel in distress; or perhaps a weeping vamp in distress, as her breasts were threatening to escape from her dress. She pulled it up and made her way out into the corridor.

The ballroom was in uproar and as the tide of staff ran to investigate, Maddie made an easy escape out onto the street, just in time to see her shiny red Volvo screeching to a halt outside. Jory was at the wheel and Ben beside him. Maddie yanked open the back door and threw herself onto the seat with Kate, pulling the door shut behind her as Jory accelerated away.

"Turn your phone off." Jory said. "Alice can't see the three of us but she can see your decisions. The last thing we need is a series of messages from angry parents 'cause we didn't stay home."

Maddie fumbled with her phone and switched it off.

"I _love_ your dress." Said Kate. "We were watching on local TV. I think Ben drooled."

Maddie laughed and Ben looked a little embarrassed.

"I didn't think this through. I don't think I'm exactly cut out for running in four inch heels and a floor-length dress." Maddie replied.

"I'll give you a piggy back." Said Ben. "We're meeting Kael and Demetri in Golden Gate Park." His quick check out of her breasts did not go unnoticed and she put her hand across them, slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry." He apologised.

"I didn't appreciate that the corset would make them quite this… prominent."

"He's not complaining." Said Jory.

Ben thwacked him on his arm. Jory hit back.

_"Stop it!"_ Snapped Kate. "Concentrate on the road."

"I know where I'm going." Jory replied, taking a right off Van Ness and heading out west to Golden Gate Park.

They arrived by the deserted Stow Lake and got out of the car, Maddie's heels made an inordinate amount of noise on the pavement. Ben came straight over and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her. In the strapless ball gown she really wasn't dressed for this at all and she was glad that it was a mild night. Ben was only wearing a thin T-shirt and Maddie wasn't objecting to the firm, warm body she could feel beneath it.

"So who's Demetri?" She asked.

"He's a tracker." Said Jory. "A friend of the family. He lives in Italy at the house we run for transitioning vampires."

"You're going to have to explain that one to me." Said Maddie.

"It's for those vampires who want to try our way of life. Go vegetarian so to speak."

"Start drinking animal blood? You need time for that to happen?"

"Yes, in many ways it's like a human stopping drinking or doing drugs. Some get it first time, some take a little longer and others never take to it. It's not for everyone."

"Have you ever..?"

"Killed anyone? No. None of us have." Said Jory. "When we were babies we were fed on donated blood and as soon as we could walk we were out hunting. Here in the city we take more donated blood because it's not as easy to get out into the parks each week. Mom and Dad can go longer than we can."

"I wish they'd hurry up." Said Ben, watching the skies.

"We're looking for an Angel?" Asked Maddie, craning her neck upwards into the night sky. "What's that going to took like?" The cloud cover was total which was why it was so warm.

"Like that!" Kate exclaimed and pointed.

Maddie turned her head just in time to see the remains of a speeding trail of light turn into two men. The man behind, by deduction Kael, had the most enormous set of white wings, which were even now folding up like a concertina into his back. In front of him stood a slightly dazed Mediterranean-looking vampire with shoulder-length black hair.

"However many times I do it, travelling by Angel still freaks me out." He said and adjusted his clothing. "Jory, Ben, Kate, what can I do for you?"

"Thanks for coming." Said Jory, shaking Demetri's hand. "We're trying to find our friend. She's been taken by a vampire and we think she may have been a victim. It's a slim chance but we've got to try."

"Sure. Who knows her best?"

"I do." Said Maddie, stepping out from behind Ben.

"Ah _ha_… Madison Mitchell I presume. At last." Demetri grinned.

"Is there anybody who doesn't know who I am?" Maddie griped.

"Not if they know Daniel." Demetri replied. "You know that thing parents do when they bore you to death about how fabulous their kids are?"

"Uh huh."

"Well he does that… _a lot_ and he has three of you." Demetri winked.

Behind him Kael chuckled and stepped out from behind Demetri. Without the enormous white wings he was just an ordinary, fairly good-looking guy of around her age. "Nice to finally meet you Maddie, I'm Kael. I'm Heather's father."

"Nice to meet you too." Maddie shook hands with an angel. She would never have known what he was, had she not seen his wings fully extended.

Demetri smiled at her. "Maddie, can you think of your friend for me? Anything will do, just let your mind bring up something you can clearly remember about her."

Maddie replayed bits of this evening in her head; the laughter and the fun, right through to those last few minutes; where the full horror of why Diego hadn't come after her had transpired. Maddie felt immense remorse that her friend could be dead and all because she'd used Angel's name and not something more random. A sob from her drew Ben's arms around her once again. She rested back against him, marvelling at just how warm he was. How strange that vampires could produce warm-blooded children.

"Thank you." Said Demetri and he closed his eyes. He stood there, motionless.

"What's he doing?" Whispered Maddie.

"Searching for her." Replied Ben. "It's like sonar; he's looking for an echo of her mind coming back to him."

"I have her," said Demetri. "She's pretty much due east as the… angel flies."

"OK. I can take two." Said Kael.

"Demetri, will you help us?" Asked Jory.

"It certainly looks like you need a full vampire for this. Yes I will."

"OK." Said Jory. "I suggest Demetri and I go with Kael, the rest of you follow as fast as you can in the car."

"Once Demetri locates her I can guide you in," said Kael. "I can have them there in less than a minute and come back for you."

"Fine by me." Said Ben.

Kate started pulling at her shirt and from the depths of it pulled two of the cylinders that they wore around their necks. "I brought extras." She said and handed two to Jory. She reached back in and removed the crystal star from around her neck and gave it to Maddie. "You wear this one; it goes with your dress."

"Why do I need Dad's venom?" Asked Maddie.

"Think of yourself as a St Bernard." Said Kate.

"Think of myself as a _dog?_ Thanks Kate. You're full of compliments tonight."

Kate grinned.

Jory and Demetri each put a foot on Kael's feet and he put his arms around them. From his back his wings unfurled and Maddie couldn't resist, she scooted around him and watched with amazement as they extended from his shoulder blades. She looked closer and discovered there were cuts in his shirt.

"Stand back Maddie, I don't want to knock you over." He said.

Maddie obeyed, she went back to Ben and watched in amazement as he made one strong beat of his wings and shot straight upward into the sky.

"Come on!" Called Ben and bounded over to the drivers' side of Maddie's car.

_"Hey, hey, hey!_ My car, I'll drive!" Maddie snapped.

Ben put his hands up in surrender. "Fine!"

"Can you rip fabric and shorten my dress?"

"Yes."

"Can you break 2 inches off my heels too?"

"I could, but that would put them at the wrong angle for you to run in. How about we stop at a store and I steal you something?"

"You'll get caught."

"No I won't. Trust me."

"OK. You can rip my dress and steal me some Docs."

Ben took hold of the hem of her dress, found the seam and ripped smartly up the side of it to her hip. "Ah, that ripped easier than I thought it would. Nevermind. He did the same on the other side. Ben took hold of the fabric and ripped quickly across it.

"Oops." Said Kate.

"What?" Said Maddie.

"It's a little short you can see the start of your hold-ups."

"Eh… whatever," Maddie brushed it off. "Do the back." She went to turn but Ben put his hand on her thigh, stopping her.

"What's that?" Asked Ben, indicating to the atomiser.

"Make-up for vampires. I need to give it to someone, but I keep forgetting. Do the back, quickly, we need to get going."

"Do it lower." Said Kate. Ben ripped the fabric across. "Better!" She replied. "OK, let's go steal shoes! Can I have some Docs too whilst you're there? Size five."

Maddie fired up the Volvo and floored it out of the park, heading straight down Fulton Street at speed. Ben told her to make for Haight Street and told her to drive on while he raided a shoe store. She hadn't even reached as far as Masonic, when Ben stepped out into the road and she stopped the car. He got in and waved a pair of purple Docs at her. He handed back a pair of patent black ones to Kate.

"Don't tell me I never get you anything." He said to his cousin.

"Oh my God I'll love you forever!" Kate purred.

"That's nothing special around us." He said.

Maddie headed eastwards down Haight Street. At the intersection with Market, Kael joined them again, sliding into the back seat beside Kate.

"They're in a disused warehouse on Pier 36. Take 4th to King Street and go up Embarcadero. It's clear."

"Thanks." Maddie said, pressing harder on the gas.

She pulled to a stop a short distance from the warehouse in a small parking lot that Kate broke the lock off. Maddie pulled on the Docs and the group jogged over to Pier 36.

"Are we going inside?" Asked Kate.

"Yes you are." Said a voice behind them.

They spun around and Maddie's stomach lurched at the sight of Diego. "Staging a rescue, how touching." He said.

"Where's Demetri?" Asked Kael.

Diego looked out to sea. "Oh, out there; somewhere." He pointed vaguely. "In pieces."

"Where's Jory?" Demanded Maddie.

"Currently trying very hard to resist the temptations of Miss Williams. I've left him to it. It can't be long now." Diego gave a mirthless laugh.

Maddie took off; running hell for leather up to the doors of the warehouse and shoving the doors open as hard as she could. She found herself in an empty cavernous space with no sign of either Jory or Angel. The others piled in behind her.

"Jory!" Maddie called.

_"Here."_ Came a small, but still audible reply. They ran through the space and into the second warehouse. There, in the corner, were Jory and Angel. Angel was laid on her side and sobbing. They ran to them, but at a point still a distance away, Ben pulled up sharply.

"Oh no." He said.

Kate pulled up equally sharply.

Maddie span around to them. "What?"

"Blood." Said Ben his hand over his mouth. "Angel's bleeding."

"Where? I don't see any blood." Said Maddie.

"Jory, can you move away?" Asked Ben.

"No. I'm surrounded by sensors. I trip one and the explosives he's tied around her go off. Nice."

"Well that's easy enough to solve." Said Kael; bending his knees to jump.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said Diego, appearing from behind and swinging Jory's venom phials from his hand. "Interesting. the subject of hybrids. I have been learning all about them. Their strengths and, just like Samson, their weaknesses. You look like Daniel," Diego said, pointing at Kate, "so I'm guessing that you're also carrying these. Hand them over."

Kate removed the two phials from around her neck and handed them to Diego. He patted her down, checking her pockets and sickening Maddie by squeezing her sister's breasts.

"Get off her!" Maddie spat, trying to push Diego away. She might as well try and push a mountain. Diego just laughed in her face and did the same to her.

"Magnificent." He growled. "You must keep your father so entertained with these." Maddie pulled back her hand to punch him but Ben grabbed her arm before she had time to smash her hand into a thousand pieces. Diego turned his attention to Ben. "And who are you? You don't look like them, so whose kid are you?"

"That's none of your business. Now let Jory and Angel go."

"No. I'm thirsty."

"Why haven't you had her then?"

"There are juicier specimens out there. Still, I broke her in for you. She rides well. Bit of a screamer, but then again they all are when you smash through their cervix. I used to make Daniel do that bit."

"You _disgust _me." Hissed Ben.

"Whatever makes you think I'm looking for your approval? This is my city, my rules."

"Well, we're taking it back."

Diego looked around. "Just you?"

"No, we're with the people who are currently swarming through your house and den, while we take care of you." Ben hissed.

Maddie saw the momentary darkening of Diego's face. He didn't know after all. Dionne hadn't told him, so what was her game?

"There are hundred of vampires in my Den." Diego growled.

_"Bullshit."_ Levelled Ben. There are thirty, thirty five at most in the entire city. We've been here a while and we've been watching you."

"It must have been educational."

"It was. It reminded me of all the reasons why I live the life I do. I will never stoop to your level."

"What, you mean this?" There was a blur in front of Maddie and suddenly Ben was slumped on the floor writhing in pain. Maddie dropped to her knees by him. Ben was pulling at the neck of his t-shirt trying to get his phial. Maddie got it and put it in his hands. Writhing in pain all the time, Ben snapped off the top.

"Pour it, in the, wound." He gasped. _"Quickly."_ He collapsed onto the floor, exposing the bleeding bite on his neck. Maddie's hand shook as she tipped the silver liquid into the bite. Ben went rigid and gasped louder; he seemed to be hurting even more.

"Oh my God what did I do!" She wailed. Suddenly Kate was there.

"It's OK. It hurts more than the venom and it's cold, it feels like ice going through your veins. It'll pass."

Above them Diego laughed. "And what the fuck are you?" He said, addressing Kael. "You're not human and you're not hybrid."

"No I'm heavenly." Kael replied, standing nonchalantly with his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "You can bite me all you like; it won't make a scrap of difference."

Diego did and got nothing. Kael didn't even wince.

"Satisfied?"

"You're immortal?" Questioned Diego.

"Yes and more so than you." Kael pulled a lighter from his pocket. "All I would have to do is pull you apart and burn you. Whereas you'd have to kill God to get rid of me. Now be a good boy, let Jory go and let us take Angel to the hospital. Go and have your fun somewhere else."

"I don't think so."

Maddie suddenly found herself pressed up against Kate, carried out of the warehouse and up over the rooftops of San Francisco.

It had started to rain.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six: Off With His Head**

They were in a small room in the basement of somewhere, but it wasn't familiar. Diego had pulled the same trick again, strapping explosives around Maddie and surrounding Kate with sensors so she couldn't rescue her sister without killing her. Kate was sat in a puddle of water in the corner of the room and in the dim light' Maddie could see the fabric of Kate's clothing turning darker as it soaked up the water. Maddie wasn't sat in a puddle, but she was shackled to the wall. Not that she'd have any chance to escape, because Diego was not the only vampire here.

Diego had taken a new den and it was already stocked with vampires. They were brawling next door, but Diego was waiting calmly. Having secured the bait, Diego was merely waiting for what he wanted most. Daniel.

"I'm going to wait right here until he comes and gets you."

"Then what?" Maddie snapped. "Are you expecting that he'll strike a bargain with you? Our freedom, in return for him taking his place at your side?"

Noah was stood in the doorway.

Diego snickered and walked over to her. He ran his finger along Maddie's jaw line. At her chin he pressed with his finger and smacked her head back against the wall.

"Very perceptive, Miss Mitchell. That's exactly what I intend to do."

His eyes dropped to Maddie's breasts and he cupped them again. She tried pull away, but it was no use.

"I'm not one for the ladies," He said. "Although I do like to watch and these are truly impressive." He squeezed hard causing her to buckle under the pain. Over in the corner Kate snarled viciously. Diego released Maddie and turned his attention to the younger girl. He walked over and stood in front of her. "How old are you? Fourteen, fifteen? I suppose you're more durable than your sister, would you like for me to arrange a little _experience_ for you? Noah here will oblige just as your daddy was always very… obliging. Occasionally one or two survived. Although not for long; that much blood can make a man thirsty." Diego looked her over. "Stand up." He snapped.

Kate obeyed and water dripped from her clothes.

"Noah."

_"No!"_ Maddie shouted, pulling at her shackles. "Leave her alone, she's a little girl for God's sake! Daniel won't stay with you if you hurt her, or me. He'll kill you!"

Diego laughed. "I don't think so. Daniel was never a fighter; you could have his head off in seconds." Diego turned around. "Noah. Show the little girl here what we mean by a good time."

Noah walked forward and as he did so, Diego grabbed his chin and kissed Noah on the mouth.

"After this, you can go. I'll have my Daniel back soon. It's been fun, but… you've always known how it is for me."

"Of course, but hurting his kids may not be the best way to get that love from him that you want."

Diego considered this for a moment, but his contemplation was distracted by an increase in the commotion outside.

"It's _over!_" Shouted a female voice. Which Maddie thought she recognised. "Diego, it's over. Solace are pulling out!"

It was Veronica. She appeared in the doorway of the room dragging Maddie's Mom by her hair. Veronica threw Helen into the room and she landed awkwardly, collapsing on the concrete floor, sobbing.

"This _thing_ betrayed us!" Veronica roared. "Some lawyer has taken out not just us, but London, Sofia and Volterra! Aro is incandescent!"

"So where's Aro?"

"He'll be along, he was trying to find the lawyer. Whoever this was, it was well planned and they got the lawyer away in the commotion. But it was too late to stop everything going out. Aro needed to make calls." Veronica noticed Maddie chained to the wall. "What's she doing here?" And then she noticed Kate. "And what's _that?_Another hybrid?"

"Yes." Replied Diego. "And even better, this is Daniel's younger daughter. He has three children, can you believe that? Two of them are these hybrid freaks. I left the other one with his bleeding friend and an angel at Pier 36."

"A what?"

"An angel. You know?" Diego flapped his arms imitating a bird and then put them together as in prayer.

Veronica glared at Maddie and it was a good job looks couldn't kill or else Maddie would be turning up her toes. "It was you, wasn't it? You gave them the information. Aro tried to get it out of her, but she knows nothing." Veronica walked towards her.

Maddie got to her feet, looking Veronica squarely in the eye.

"Who are they?" Veronica asked.

"You expect me to tell you?"

"I think I can guess if you're involved. The Cullens. Why would they want to bring down the Volturi? What _possible_ benefit to them is there? All it does is cause chaos."

"It derails the plans of an organisation that was going against what it stood for. I'm no expert, but I heard that the Volturi were there to keep vampires secret? You can hardly be secret if you're opening offices in all the world's major cities. This forces them to go back to what they are, and I'd incur the wrath of a thousand vampires, if it meant that I could save San Francisco from the likes of you."

"Such noble words." Veronica sneered. "You must be _so proud_ of her Helen. Did she tell you that your ex husband was one of us?"

Helen was still in a heap on the floor. She looked at her daughter and shook her head. "No."

"He'll be here soon," said Diego. "No doubt on some noble quest to save his daughters. He always was very noble; it was part of the attraction. I'm sure you two will have lots to catch up on."

"Daniel doesn't have any other children." Helen said.

"He does Mom." Said Maddie, gently. "He has two more. Kate, behind you, is my half-sister."

Helen dragged herself around to see who Maddie was referring to and then turned back to her daughter. "Daniel's alive?" She said, not without some considerable emotion.

Maddie knew she had to be honest, for her Mom's sake. "Yes."

"You knew? For how long?"

"A couple of weeks. Pretty much since my birthday."

"And you never told me. Or let me see him?"

"Mom, I couldn't. They don't want people like us to know about them. You know what these people are don't you?" Surely she'd worked it out?

"Yes. Vampires. But I was _married_ to him! I know him! I loved him! Surely he'd want to see me?"

Maddie rolled her eyes, it was all _me, me, me_. "Mom, you kicked him out. He's been a vampire since the night he went missing. He has someone else now and a new family."

But her Mom wasn't listening. "And _you!_" Helen exploded at Veronica, trying and failing to get to her feet. "Bringing such _hideousness_ to San Francisco. I _knew_ there was something you weren't telling me, I just _knew!_ But it took some smart lawyer from Seattle, of all places, to expose you and your… concentration camps!"

"You can rant all you want." Veronica said, coldly. "It won't do you any good. I should kill you, but I think I'll wait. It might be touching for you to see him again. Perhaps he'll finish you off?"

"I think I could persuade him to give you one final _ride_." Said Diego. "For old times sake."

Maddie saw Kate bite her lip. This talk of their Dad being a sexual predator was not something that would easily leave Maddie's head and she suspected the same of Kate.

"So we're just going to wait here for Daniel to show up?" Said Veronica.

"Yes." Replied Diego.

"Oh fabulous." Veronica said with sarcasm.

Diego walked over to the wall where there was a small stereo. He turned it on. "Perhaps we should have a little music while we wait."

"Does he know where this place is?" Veronica asked.

"He can track a scent. He'll be here. I stole his kids. I stole ALL his kids." Diego laughed.

"What if he brings the rest of the Cullens?" Veronica asked, peering at the hideous mess that was Maddie's ripped dress.

"There's fifteen of us here, that's plenty."

Noah moved in close and caressed Diego's hip, reaching around to the front, getting an instant reaction in Diego's pants. With Diego distracted, Veronica checking something on her screen and a sleight of hand that Maddie could barely see, Noah whipped the sensor control box out of Diego's pocket and flicked it backwards to Kate. She caught it and hid it behind her back.

Maddie saw Kate pull out her Sirius and aim it at the stereo. She could get it to connect and to play through the stereo's speakers, remotely. Kate drew her finger across her neck and Maddie knew exactly what she was intending to do, their highly -choreographed dance routine where Kate had simulated pulling off vampire head after vampire head. Could she do it for real? Could Kate stun them long enough to remove Veronica and Diego's heads? Noah was clearly saying he'd help. Veronica looked bored and Diego was enjoying Noah's hands too much to even be looking at them.

Maddie watched the volume control on the stereo move all the way to the right of its own accord and the blue light flash to indicate that a device was connected. She looked to Kate for direction as Kate simultaneously deactivated the sensors and pressed play on her Sirius.

_Deafening_ music filled the room, and Kate leapt from where she was, straight onto Veronica's back, jerking her head violently left and right before pulling as hard as she could. There was an unearthly screech, a keening and Veronica's headless body slumped forward onto the floor.

Helen screamed.

Noah had Diego in a headlock working his head left and right. But Diego was stronger and pulled Noah to the floor. The two vampires scuffled in a blur and Kate pulled the bewildered Helen out of their way. But she couldn't get to Maddie before Diego dismembered his lover and grabbed Maddie. Two vampires were down, but not the two they wanted. Diego had Maddie's neck stretched hard over to the left and she could feel his cold breath on her skin.

"Shut that off!" He commanded.

Kate obeyed.

"One more damn stupid move and I'll kill you anyway."

Maddie could hear the sounds of fighting. The same unearthly screeches, what sounded like the tearing of metal and suddenly at the door were Jess, Jane and Dan.

"Let her go." Commanded Jane.

"No." Snapped Diego.

"Your funeral, mate." Said Dan and the three of them walked forward in a line.

Diego slumped to the floor howling, taking Maddie with him. The trio of blonde vampires were doing nothing other than looking at him. He was writhing in agony and now she was, as his twisting was pulling her chains tighter and tighter. Her hand chanced on the atomiser of coating still stuck down her hold-up. She pulled it free; it would have to do as mace. She brought it up and pressed down. She squirted it into Diego's face and he howled louder, instantly releasing her. Jess scooped her up, breaking off the shackles and holding her tightly. Maddie looked back, Diego was still writhing on the floor, but Jane and Dan were now looking at each other, not at Diego.

"What's that you sprayed?" Jane asked her and Maddie handed her the atomiser.

"It's the stuff they coat their skin in." Maddie replied.

"You sprayed it in his face?" Jane asked.

Diego had subdued a little. He looked back at them, or at least he faced them. Where his eyes should have been, there was nothing but two black holes.

"Eww!" Said Jess. "You melted his eyeballs."

"I can't see!" Howled Diego putting his hands to his face and feeling where his eyes should have been. "What the fuck have you done?"

Kate came over and took the atomiser from Jane. She went over to Veronica's head and sprayed the stuff into her eyes. The four of them crowded round and watched as Veronica's eyes bubbled and oozed away.

"Oh my God," Said Jess. "What's in that stuff?"

"We should give it to Carlisle." Said Jane.

More of the family burst through the door, Esmé, Rose and Bella closely followed by Stephanie. Stephanie's clothes were badly torn and she looked like she'd been in a serious fight.

"Mom!" wailed Kate and flew at her.

"Oh my goodness!" Stephanie held and kissed her daughter.

Bella came over to Maddie. "Let's get this off of you before your Dad sees it." She murmured pulling at the explosives taped to Maddie's body.

"Where's Jory?" Maddie mumbled.

Bella looked into her eyes. "Safe."

"Ben?"

Bella smiled. "Safe."

"And Angel?"

"Equally safe."

Maddie let out a massive sigh at the moment her Dad came into the room.

_"Daniel!" _Called Helen, staggering to her feet as best she could. "Oh my God, Daniel!" She reached for him, but at exactly that moment she gave an almighty lurch. They all did, as underneath their feet the earth roiled and buckled in no way that Maddie had ever experienced before.

_"Earthquake!"_ Alice yelled, moments before the roof above started to cave in.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Goodbye**

The shaking went on forever, or at least it felt like forever. Maddie was huddled under Bella as bricks, masonry, steel and cables rained down on them. As the shaking went on, Maddie's terror grew and she grabbed hold of Bella for reassurance. It stopped after several minutes and Bella and the rest of them shrugged and pushed aside the debris that had accumulated on top of them. She helped Maddie to her feet. The wall beside them had come down and Maddie could see into the next room. It was littered with masonry and body parts. Bloodless, vampire body parts.

"Everybody OK?" Called Carlisle.

"Yes." Called Emmett, pushing aside a massive chunk of wall.

"That was _bad_." Said Jane. "Biggest one I've ever felt. That was way more than a nine point five for sure."

There was a murmur that Maddie didn't quite hear.

Suddenly, bits of building were flying out of the way. An aftershock hit and to their far right another large section of wall collapsed, sending a fresh tsunami of masonry down on them. Bella crouched over Maddie again until it stopped. Maddie coughed with dust.

"Maddie?" Her Dad was suddenly at the side of her, holding out her his hand. Maddie took it and Daniel pulled her into a fierce hug. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I'm OK. He didn't hurt me." '_much'_ Maddie added silently in her head.

"Daniel," called Edward. "Now."

"Maddie?" Said her Dad, crouching down a little to be at her eye level. "Your Mom's badly hurt. You need to come and say… _goodbye."_

Maddie didn't at first comprehend what he was saying, but Daniel took her hand and they picked their way over to where Carlisle and Edward were kneeling. They had excavated her Mom's head and she was lying on her side, covered in brick dust, but the rest of her was still encased in rubble.

Maddie tripped and fell onto her knees in front of her Mom, the noise made Helen's eyes fly open.

"Sweetheart." She croaked taking little quick breaths. A single tear tracked its way across the dusty bridge of her nose, across her cheek leaving a wet trail and fell to the floor.

"Mom!" Maddie grasped what bit of her she could, forcing bits of brick up under her nails.

"I love you." Helen's voice was a whisper. With great effort she raised her chin and kissed Maddie. Maddie kissed her Mom and she felt a hand on her back.

"Helen?"

Maddie pulled back to let her Dad in. Her Mom's eyes produced more tears as she registered her ex-husband.

"Look after her." Helen croaked.

"I will." He put his hand to her face.

"I love…" Helen's mouth started to form the word you, but no sound appeared. Her eyes were fixed and a posthumous tear followed its counterpart to the floor. In the silence, Maddie stroked her Mom's hair. Carlisle gently closed Helen's eyes and Daniel sat by his daughter, as silent tears fell. In her head she said goodbye to her Mommy, over and over and over again.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Aurora**

"Maddie! Come and see!"

Sophie Taylor Cullen exploded through the door, followed by her sister Anyu and Izzy Cullen Black. Zozie the wolf cub trotted in after her tiny mistress.

Maddie put her book down and looked at the posse of little girls before her. "This had better be good. I don't think Carlisle will let me out of bed for anything less than completely amazing."

"It _is_ amazing, it's the single best sight in the whole world!" Said Anyu, jumping up and down, causing Sophie and Izzy to start jumping too.

Maddie grinned. "OK, OK!"

Around the door came Carlisle. "Let me help you up." He smiled and lifted Maddie from the bed, setting her on her feet. "Not too sore?"

Maddie shook her head. "No. Although can I have your arm, please? I'm not great at walking, yet."

"Sure."

Maddie descended the stairs slowly on Carlisle's arm. It had been an eventful journey north for Christmas. Maddie had been seized by the most unbelievable abdominal pain in the car, which turned out to be a burst appendix. She'd had emergency surgery in Anchorage, before being released into Carlisle's care as soon as the surgeon was happy with her progress. Her stomach muscles were sore and walking wasn't something she was doing at speed right now - or stairs for that matter. She also wasn't great at bending, coughing, laughing or moving in general, come to think of it.

It was Christmas Eve and the Cullen family were gathered together in Ness and Jake's new home, in the northern part of Denali National Park. To the south, in what had previously been the home of Tanya and her family were Jane and Dan and their girls; along with Jess, Will and Ben. Tanya's family had swapped Denali for Forks, having bought a house that had apparently once belonged to the Cullens. Ben's residence with his parents was in name only, as he mostly lived much further south at Daniel and Stephanie's house on the outskirts of Juneau. That was because things were developing well between him and Maddie.

Carlisle and Maddie walked into the living room, where Esmé, Heather and Charlie were babysitting the younger children while everyone else was out hunting. For Charlie it was kick back time. He'd just retired and he and Heather were taking advantage of Heather's sabbatical to do some travelling in the New Year. But first there was a small matter of Christmas with the family, and by the looks of it Billy Junior was destroying his Great-Grandpa at chess again. Heather was nursing Elliott, the baby boy that Emmett had plucked from the ruins of a building when the earthquake struck. He and Rose couldn't bear to give him up to the proper authorities for adoption. They figured San Francisco wouldn't miss one little baby, who would be cherished by two people who'd wanted nothing else for a century. Elliott McCarty Cullen would be a loved little boy indeed.

"She's had a lot of practice, now it's time for Rosalie to do the real thing." Bella had said.

Esmé came over to Maddie. "I know you're tired and sore, but the Aurora is the most spectacular thing. It would be a shame to miss it when the sky is so clear tonight. I'll help you get dressed."

Esmé led Maddie out into the hallway, where the little girls were already pulling on boots, coats, gloves and hats. Soon enough, Maddie was bundled up like an Inuit and stepped out gingerly into the bitter Alaskan night.

But she needn't have worried about her footing, the freshly-fallen snow had been cleared and was piled up, adding to the seven foot high snow bank, which Jory had jokingly named "The Black Fortress" when they'd pulled up outside the house.

Esmé, dressed only in a light layer of clothes and sneakers walked with Maddie across to the to the lookout point, which gave an unbroken view of the northern sky and the valley in which the house was situated. Maddie could already see the green bands of light in the sky.

"Give your eyes time to adjust and they'll get clearer, but here's as good a place as any to watch them from. Let me clear a place for you to sit." Esmé briskly cleared the snow from a bench and the next second was back with a cushion. She put it on the bench and helped Maddie to sit down.

The girls had finished dressing and piled out of the house, running down the steps in front of her and jumping with loud shrieks into chest-deep snow. Zozie yipped at Izzy, before deciding that she might as well join in. The wolf cub launched herself into the snow and sank without trace, much to Izzy's amusement. The little girl laughed and pulled the snow-covered grey wolf cub out of the hole she'd made for herself.

"Just say my name when you want to come back in." Said Esmé. "I'll come and get you."

"OK, thanks." Said Maddie.

Esmé smiled at the little girls and walked back inside.

Getting the children anywhere near a sufficiently sleepy state so that Santa Claus might pay them a visit had been long abandoned; the policy now was about wearing them out. That was easier said than done in Izzy's case. Maddie hadn't known them very long but was already aware that their reputation as a handful was justified. None of Jake and Ness's kids ever stopped, from the moment their eyes were open in the morning, until the time they crashed out at the end of the day. They were unlike any children that Maddie had ever experienced. To see them together was alarming enough, with their pack-like behaviour. But even apart they were intimidating, with even the tiny Izzy radiating supreme confidence. The older children, Sarah and EJ, were out running with their parents. But Billy and Izzy were a little young to keep up; plus Izzy liked to hang out with the girls. The relationship between Izzy and Zozie was sweet to watch and they were joined as if by an umbilical cord, neither one straying far from the other. Maddie couldn't help wondering what would happen when Zozie was fully-grown. She'd asked Ben.

"You mean when Zozie's a standard-sized adult wolf?" He said.

"Yes."

"I'd wait until you see Jake in his wolf form before you wonder about Zozie being too big for the house."

Maddie hadn't seen Jake as a wolf yet.

As the girls played happily in the snow and the gorgeous Aurora danced in the sky above her, Maddie sat back and let her mind drift back over the last two months. She was doing a lot of that lately, trying to process what had happened and working through the grief.

San Francisco, her beloved city, was in ruins. The largest earthquake in recorded history had struck the city at 10.57pm; registering 9.8 on the Richter scale and displacing the San Andreas Fault by a colossal fourteen feet. The fires deliberately started by the Cullens were not unusual amongst the hundreds of other fires in the city that night. In the aftermath of her Mom's death, Stephanie had led her and Kate out of the rubble to safety, but also away from their father, as he faced the now blind vampire who had caused him nothing but pain. Vengeance was his to claim and Daniel wanted no witnesses.

Later, a shocked and tearful Maddie had clung to her Dad's back as the family picked their way through the devastated city, back to the Presidio. It took hours and they did what they could to help along the way. Rescuing little Elliott was almost the first thing they did. The Mark Hopkins, where she'd been only a few hours ago, had buckled and collapsed; not able to withstand the intensity of this earthquake. A fresh wave of grief washed over her, as she mourned her grandparents, buried somewhere under it. She also cried for Angel, who didn't know yet that her own parents were more than likely dead. They'd paused there for a while and Stephanie comforted her husband as best she could. They were his parents, after all, and Michael Williams had been a good friend. It wasn't just Maddie who had lost people tonight.

As dawn broke, shedding light on the cities' almost biblical destruction, they returned at last to Presidio Terrace and one look at her house told Maddie that she wouldn't be going inside any time soon. Liquefaction had pulled the entire left side of it deep into the earth and it was cloven almost in two from top to bottom. The rented house across the street had fared better. It was badly shaken, but the first floor was mostly intact and so gradually the family congregated there, taking stock of a night that hadn't gone the way they planned.

Pulling Demetri out of San Francisco Bay and reassembling him hadn't been on the to-do list and Maddie was still struggling with that one; especially as Demetri seemed remarkably unconcerned about it.

Dionne had gone after and fought Stephanie for Daniel. But the feral vampire could not prevail against Stephanie, who had been well trained by Jasper. Dionne had been offered a chance to start over and become one of them, but she'd declined. Dionne's only desire was for Daniel, he was all that she wanted. Realising that she couldn't have him, she'd asked to be released from her life. Someone had obliged and Stephanie wouldn't tell Maddie who had done it. They didn't know where Aro was right now but Carlisle was unconcerned. He'd show up again in time and when he did, they'd be ready.

The rest of the Volturi were scattered to the four winds, leaving the hapless humans to face the criminal investigations that were now underway in London, Sofia and Rome. The vampires may have gotten away, but not before they had razed almost the entire town of Volterra to the ground. They'd watched footage of it days later on TV, as fire had swept through the small Italian town in the early hours of November 1st. It begged even more questions as the world reeled from what it thought humanity was trying to do to itself.

The Mitchell-Cullens had returned to Juneau, taking a larger house this time to the north of the city. Maddie and Kate had enrolled in school, Ben got himself a job on a local paper, but Jory opted out of pretty much everything. It was understandable.

Jory and Angel came out of the trees and walked toward where Madison was sitting on the bench. They'd been hand in hand, but Jory put his arm around her as they circumvented the playing girls and Angel put her head on his shoulder They came up the steps and Jory smiled at his sister. Angel looked less confident, this was still very new to her.

"You're finally up." Said Angel.

Maddie nodded. "The girls insisted that I saw the Aurora. It's amazing."

Angel turned to look at it. "Yes, it's gorgeous, but so is this whole place. Perhaps it'll make an outdoor lover of me yet." She kissed Jory, and Maddie realised fairly quickly that they weren't going to stop if she didn't jump back in.

"How was tonight?" She asked.

Angel pulled a face. "It's been eight weeks; you'd think I'd have gotten the hang of it by now, but…" She pulled open what Maddie now realised was Jory's shirt, to reveal a shredded top. "The damn cat got me."

Jory kissed her forehead. "You're getting better every time and cats rarely go down without a fight."

Angel was the Cullen's newest vampire and seeing as Jory had been the one to create her, he felt that it was his responsibility to show Angel her new life. He'd agonised over changing her, telling Maddie later the real reason why she hadn't been his type. Jory hadn't wanted to fall in love with a human woman and have her go through the transformation process to become a vampire. He'd accidentally walked in on his own Mom during her conversion and the agony she'd been in had stayed with him. But injured further in the earthquake, Angel's life had been ebbing quickly away and so he'd acted from pure selfishness to save her. The fact that they'd fallen in love was a nice bonus. Angel and Maddie hadn't been able to have much time together since, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case forever.

Maddie fingered the crystal pendant that she wore all the time now. She knew that it held the potential for her to join the family in a more permanent way. Not that her Dad was entirely happy about it. He'd asked her to hand it over when Edward had told him that she was thinking about pouring the contents into a wound.

"Please don't do it because you feel like you're the odd one out and please, whatever you do, don't do it on your own. You will need one of us there. It's not a case of feeling a little sick for three days. You also might not want it to be my venom." He added. Maddie felt a little uncomfortable at that comment; it almost felt like a too late father-daughter _birds and the bees_ talk. But Stephanie supported it later.

"He's right, it's a very personal thing," she said. "Once I'd made the decision, I wouldn't have wanted anyone other than Daniel to do it. I guess it's how we've come to look at our relationships. It makes us different from other vampires. We take our creating duties slightly more seriously. Also, for you; if you do it now, it cuts down a lot of options if things with Ben don't work out."

The rest of the family were drifting back from the hunt, appearing out of the forest as if they'd been doing nothing more unusual than shopping at the mall. Emmett and Rosalie were next back, calling out a brief _'hi there'_ before hurtling inside to see Elliott. Edward and Bella came in from the west with Jasper and Alice. The howl of a wolf filled the valley and Zozie responded to it. Maddie had no clue what it had been about, but Izzy did and she was not happy. Her little face was like thunder.

"Daddy says five more minutes." She grumbled to her playmates. "It's not even ten thirty yet." Izzy ran to Bella. "Nana will you talk to Daddy? Get him to let us stay out longer, _please?_"

Bella picked Izzy up. "Are you not tired yet?"

"No."

"Not even so that Santa Claus can deliver those presents?"

"No." Said Izzy in a tone that suggested Bella was an imbecile. "Santa Claus doesn't deliver presents, the UPS guy does and they're in the basement."

Edward, Jasper and Alice laughed and Bella shook her head with incredulity at her granddaughter.

"You can't fault the girl's logic." Said Alice, tapping Izzy on the nose. Izzy snapped a playful bite in return, but Alice was too fast for the little girl to catch.

"How about I make you all some hot chocolate?" Said Bella, keen to at least get the girls inside.

"Yes!" They chorused.

"Count me in on that, Mom!" From nowhere, Ness vaulted in, landing perfectly beside her Mom and youngest daughter. Izzy went instantly to Ness.

"Is Sarah on her way back?" Asked Izzy.

"Yes, she's right behind, with Daddy."

"Good." The little girl said in a clipped tone. Ness waited for something more but nothing came.

"And?" She enquired.

"Nothin'." Said Izzy, looking like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

Ness looked to Edward. "Dad?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm sworn to secrecy on this one." He grinned.

Ness looked at him. "How did you go from Mr Over-Protective-Parent to Mr Putty-In-The-Hands-Of-My-Grandkids? You could back me up once in a while, Dad!"

Edward darted forward and kissed his daughter on her forehead. "I could, but where's the fun in that? We'd better get Maddie here inside before she freezes solid."

Edward helped Maddie inside and they were followed in by a trail of chattering children and at intervals, returning vampires; including her Dad and Stephanie. The hallway was a jumble of boots, jackets and winter accessories. Maddie had just settled down with her hot chocolate when in came Jess, Ben, Will and the most terrifyingly enormous wolf, tailed by two slightly more normal-sized ones. Now she understood what Ben meant by not worrying about Zozie. The wolves phased back into regular naked humans and Maddie tried not to stare, both at both Jake's impressive physique and the fact that he was happy to walk around butt-naked in front of his family.

Ben sat down next to Maddie and she rested against him, watching everyone slowing taking seats, or climbing on their parents on the horseshoe-shaped sofa.

The next year would be difficult one. There was the question of what exactly she was going to do with Elba, now that she was the major shareholder. Michael Williams had been the only person from the executive in the Mark Hopkins when it collapsed and she'd been able to suggest someone to Tony, Norah and Rob that they might approach to replace him. She'd told them that Esther Weisberger had been someone her Mom was impressed by, but it had been her Dad who'd helped her do the homework. She felt she wanted to do something to help, even if it was only suggesting a name. She'd handed over day to day control to them while she ostensibly finished High School. Not that that wasn't true, she did have to finish school and she'd be doing that in Alaska. She also needed time to work out where her life was going to be.

This wasn't about living in 'the real world' because the world in this room was just as real as the one she'd had before; more so if you counted the greater sense of family that she now had. This family was much bigger, much noisier, more caring, more loving and more inclined to leave its stuff all over the floor. She'd led such an isolated existence before; but here, she almost felt part of a tribe; like the Quileutes she'd met briefly on the move up to Alaska. Jake and Ness had come down and met them in La Push, taking the opportunity to call in on Jake's Dad while his wife was away for a couple of days. Later, from the windows of a blacked out van, her Dad and Stephanie had showed her the places in Forks that had been part of their early lives together.

Living so far north as she did now, she'd tasted the rain many times and had spent hours roaming the southern Alaskan forests on Ben's back. She wasn't quite the outdoor lover yet, she still missed the city sometimes; but only sometimes and she was beginning to like the colour green.

But there were choices to be made. If she got more involved with Elba, she wouldn't be able to live with the Cullens, or have a public relationship with Ben. Even in the short time since the earthquake, Maddie understood that being at Elba in any public capacity wasn't going to be easy. Rich, unattached young women seemed to be a major topic of conversation in the gossip columns and she was already the #1 topic, when it was 'revealed' that the reason she hadn't been in the Mark Hopkins when it collapsed, was that she'd been meeting up with a boyfriend. In the city clearance, Maddie's car had been found abandoned by Pier 36. Maddie had been confronted by a reporter - at school of all places - and had refused to say who it was. But that hadn't stopped the speculation and the smart money was linking her to the hot guy she was seen dancing with her at her birthday party only a few weeks previously. When Maddie had read that in the reporter's column yesterday she'd nearly died with embarrassment. Emmett and Jasper had nearly combusted with laughter.

"They think you're dating your own granddaughter Edward. You couldn't make this shit up!" Laughed Emmett.

"I prefer to dwell on the fact that the reporter thinks I'm a hot guy. I've still got it at one hundred and twenty." Edward shook his ass at his brothers.

"Edward, you doing that is not attractive." Said Rosalie, nursing her son. You'll curdle Elliott's milk."

"Well I think it is." Said Bella, moving over to her husband.

"Oh _Jeez…_" Ness griped. "Mom, Dad, _please_ go to your room. It gives me flashbacks."

Perhaps it would be easier just to cut loose, sell her shares and let herself be gently consumed into the cradle of the Cullen family. She could fade from people's view and right now, that was sounding a very attractive option.

Maddie eased herself into bed later that night. She was very tired, sore and wished Ben could be here to warm the bed up. She couldn't explain why she was feeling this way, but she felt lonely, cold and a little sad. Apart from the children, everyone else had somebody with them tonight and she'd like to be with someone too. She wanted Ben. She didn't want to do anything with him, she was too sore from surgery and Jess would eat her alive if she did; but right now she could use some warmth and arms that were beginning to feel very familiar. He'd be the perfect Christmas gift. She settled down, closed her eyes and thought of him instead.

"Budge up." Said a voice.

_"Wha?"_ Maddie's eyes flow open, it was Ben.

"Edward sent me."

"Edward sent you?"

"Yes, and he said to tell you that the wrapping stays on."

Maddie gave a snort of laughter and wriggled back, letting Ben into her bed. She pressed herself up against him and winced as the cut muscles in her abdomen protested. He was so gloriously warm!

Yet again Edward had come through for her. He'd reunited her with her Dad, smoothed her entrance into this incredible family, danced with her and had now organised for her and Ben to spend the night together. What a great guy to have as a grandfather; even if he was a vampire and yes, did have crap taste in music.

She nestled in close to her boyfriend, buried her head in his chest and enjoyed the smell, the touch and the warmth of him. She sighed with deep contentment. Just before she dozed off she finally remembered her manners.

"Thanks Edward." She murmured. "Thank you for everything."

**The End**

**Author's Note:  
**_And that's it, there is no more! If you've read all five of my stories, thank you! I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I've enjoyed writing them. It's been two years of glorious fun, playing around with the Cullen family and thank you to Stephenie Meyer for creating them. I always wanted to use these stories to test myself as a storyteller and I hope that you think that I've acquitted myself adequately.If you could spare a minute to post a comment, that would be wonderful. I'm a new writer and feedback is so valuable to help me improve.** Thank you once again for reading. There are so many wonderful stories on this site and the fact that you chose to read mine is humbling.  
**_

**_With grateful thanks_  
**

**Rachel x  
**


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